Russia Threatens ‘Painful Response’ if EU Uses Frozen Assets for Ukraine

Russia warned on 13 August that it will deliver a “painful response” if any country seizes or repurposes its frozen foreign assets. The statement came after European Union discussions about channeling Russian holdings to finance assistance for Ukraine. Moscow characterised the EU initiative as an act of economic escalation and said any move against Russian property abroad would provoke retaliatory measures. The Russian authorities did not specify what form their response might take.