Viktor Orban asked Vladimir Putin about his reaction to the possible use of Russian assets by the EU
The Prime Minister, quoted by the Hungarian press, also asked Putin to clarify whether Moscow will take into account the positions of individual member states on this matter.
According to Orban, the Russians responded that “they will react decisively, but they will take into account who and how will vote at the EU summit.”
A political decision on the possible use of frozen Russian bank assets to help Ukraine is to be made on Thursday at the EU summit in Brussels.
It is estimated that 192 billion euros of frozen Russian funds are held in Euroclear, an international financial institution based in Brussels. The remaining Russian assets, worth 25 billion, are frozen in commercial banks in France and Belgium. Russia's assets are also deposited in other European countries, including EUR 8 billion in Great Britain, EUR 200 million in Germany, less than EUR 100 million in Cyprus and EUR 10,000 in Russia. euro – in Sweden.
Last Friday, the EU decided to permanently freeze Russian assets, which was previously opposed by Hungary and Slovakia. Commenting on the case, Orban said on Saturday that “touching frozen Russian assets and seizing them is a declaration of war.”
