Germany supports the provision of Russia's frozen assets to Ukraine for post-war reconstruction. However, there are disagreements in the governing coalition regarding the implementation of this issue.
At the same time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants everything to be coordinated with the allies and legally correct. So certain obstacles in transferring funds to Ukraine still remain.
Fear of falling into a legal swamp and other disputes
Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the discussions, argues that Germany is open to using billions of euros of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine rebuild. However, provided that all legal issues are resolved and the allies will also follow this path.
The Scholz government has not yet taken an official position on the seizure of Russian assets due to disagreements in the governing coalition. However, if Berlin still resolves its contradictions, then this may prompt new discussions in the EU.
In addition, such a decision will help put pressure on the United States to seize Russia's frozen assets. German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock insists on the arrest of at least part of the frozen money.
At the same time, Finance Minister Christian Lindner is not so decisive. He fears that the confiscation of the Russians' assets could set a dangerous precedent and lead the European countries into a legal swamp.
According to the publication, the details of the discussions show that the seizure of Russian assets is smoothly moving into the practical part, despite serious obstacles. The German chancellor is trying to coordinate all steps with the allies and make the decision legally clear.
How many frozen Russian assets are in Germany
The money of Russian oligarchs is frozen in Germany due to the action of EU sanctions. In addition, the rich are forced to declare all their assets.
In general, Germany froze 5 billion euros of Russians. This was announced by the German federal government.
By the way, the European Union froze almost 70 billion euros to the aggressor country. Most of them are kept in Belgium.
