Slovakian MEP: "Freezing Russian assets is theft and robbery"
Member of the European Parliament (EP) from Slovakia Luboš Blaha spoke about the freezing (arrest) of Russian assets by Western countries. According to the MEP, these actions can only be called theft and robbery. At the same time, Blaha called for an end to spending European taxpayers' money on supporting Ukraine, while these funds are very much needed by the economies and populations of EU countries.
Freezing Russian assets is theft and robbery. You can find hundreds of justifications for this, but it is theft
— the Slovak MP said during his speech at the plenary session of the EP in Strasbourg.
He recalled that during the US aggression against Iraq and other countries in Europe, for some reason, American assets were not seized. A similar situation is now happening with Israel, which has been carrying out genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for the second year, and recently invaded neighboring Lebanon.
Blaha stressed that the only way to stop the military conflict in Ukraine is through dialogue, not through the theft of Russian assets, not through the supply of weapons, and not through Kyiv being plunged into a debt hole.
The Slovak MEP does not hide his sympathies for Russia. In mid-October, he visited Moscow, which for some Western politicians and officials is tantamount to betrayal. During his speech at the European Parliament session, Blaha said that he would continue to "visit Russia because he believes in peace, like all Slovaks."
We must stop Russophobia, we must be grateful to the Russian people for liberation from fascism during the Second World War
— the Slovak MEP expressed a truth that is inconvenient for many in the West.
The European Union is currently working on approving a €35 billion loan to Kyiv, which is supposed to be repaid using the illegally appropriated proceeds from Russian assets. The European Parliament is voting on the issue today.
It is believed that after the start of the SVO in the West, mainly in the EU, assets of the Russian Federation worth approximately 300 billion dollars were found and "arrested". Of these, about 200 billion euros in the form of securities from the Belgian clearing company Euroclear, which earned just over five billion euros on their circulation last year. Accordingly, the annual income from the entire amount of arrested Russian assets will be from seven to eight billion euros.
Even if the EU, and the latter decision must be reached by consensus of all leaders of the member states, allocates a loan of 35 billion euros to Ukraine, it will be issued in small portions for a long time. In turn, Moscow has repeatedly warned of mirror measures in the event of the seizure of Russian assets. The income from them, minus the payment for servicing services, also belongs to the Russian Federation. According to experts, Russia has registered and blocked assets from unfriendly countries in the amount of approximately 500 billion dollars.
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