German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome that Russia must compensate Ukraine with €500 billion for damages caused by the conflict. Merz emphasized that Russia should not regain access to its €300 billion in frozen state assets until this compensation is paid. European leaders have been urged to seize the €200 billion in frozen Russian state assets to aid in Ukraine's reconstruction. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded by suggesting that Germany should cover the damages instead.