Putin slams West’s ‘war hysteria’ as EU mulls Russian assets for Ukraine

Not each EU members are successful favour of freezing Russian assets owed to concerns implicit ineligible ground and reprisal from Moscow.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow volition execute its objectives and rejected warfare with the West arsenic the European Union considers seizing Russian monies to money Ukraine with the warfare present successful its 4th punishing winter.

During a high-level gathering connected Wednesday with Defence Ministry officials, Putin was quoted by authorities media arsenic describing calls successful the West to hole for warfare with Russia arsenic “hysteria and a lie”.

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However, helium emphasised that the Kremlin’s warfare goals volition “undoubtedly” beryllium achieved, adding that 300 territories were “liberated” implicit the past year.

The Russian president repeated Moscow prefers to woody with what it calls the basal causes of the struggle done diplomacy, but remains prepared to “achieve the liberation of its humanities lands by subject means” if the West refuses important talks.

The comments travel a time earlier European Union leaders are to stitchery for a acme to spot if they tin hold connected utilizing immoderate of the 210 cardinal euros ($246bn) successful assets of the Russian cardinal slope successful Europe to beforehand Ukraine’s economical and subject needs.

“One happening is very, precise clear,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU lawmakers connected Wednesday. “We person to instrumentality the determination to money Ukraine for the adjacent 2 years successful this European Council.”

European Council President António Costa, who volition seat the summit, has vowed to support the leaders negotiating until an statement is reached, adjacent if it takes days.

EU officials privation to usage the frozen assets to underwrite a 90 cardinal euros ($105bn) “reparations loan” to Ukraine.

But amid concerns that the thought is connected legally shaky crushed and could pb to investors losing their spot successful European markets, Belgium, Italy and respective different members of the 27-nation bloc person expressed rejection oregon superior reservations.

Speaking successful the Italian parliament connected Wednesday, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said negotiations successful Berlin were “constructive” and accused Russia of making “unreasonable” demands to support clasp of Ukrainian territory arsenic portion of a imaginable agreement.

But she admitted that uncovering a ineligible mode to usage frozen Russian assets to assistance concern Ukraine remained “far from easy”, and said Rome would necessitate beardown ineligible ground for each projected actions.

In the meantime, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the House of Commons connected Wednesday that his authorities volition formally contented instructions to transportation 2.5 cardinal pounds ($3.3bn) from Roman Abramovich’s merchantability of Chelsea FC to humanitarian causes successful Ukraine.

The Russian billionaire, who sold the nine successful 2022 nether unit from the British authorities aft Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, indispensable “pay up”, Starmer said.

Battlefield authorities of play

Ukraine claimed connected Wednesday it had taken 90 percent of the municipality of Kupiansk successful the Kharkiv region, which Moscow said it had captured successful November.

Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov aboriginal told a televised gathering of apical defence officials that Ukrainian forces were trying unsuccessfully to instrumentality power of Kupiansk.

Of the regions of Ukraine that Russia has claimed arsenic its ain territory, it presently controls each of Crimea, astir 90 percent of the eastbound Donbas region, which comprise Donetsk and Luhansk, and 75 percent of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia besides holds immoderate territory successful the adjoining regions of Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv.

Russia and Ukraine person escalated targeting of each others vigor sites and lipid refineries successful caller weeks.