Against the background of America allowing the transfer of confiscated and frozen Russian funds to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which it said it would allocate to support the Ukrainian people and to rebuild Ukraine, urgent questions are raised about the Russian response and the credibility of Western banks with the countries of the world, as well as the course of the war against Ukraine.

In this context, the researcher in economic affairs and international relations, Stanislav Mitrakhovich - in his interview with the "Beyond the News" program (4/2/2023) - saw that the step of confiscating Russian funds constitutes a new course in the war and a change in the rules of the game, as it poses a threat to other countries. Others may in turn be a victim of Western economic pressure, but he stressed that the military course of the war in Ukraine will remain in favor of Russia.

According to the Russian researcher, America's decision to dispose of Russia's money will have great global repercussions, and America and Europe will pay the price.

As for the military position in Ukraine, he stressed that the course of the war on the ground will remain in favor of Russia, as the Russian countermeasures are very effective, according to him, and Ukraine does not have a human support as is the case in Russia, which will force Kyiv to sit at the negotiating table.

With regard to the repercussions of the US decision to dispose of Russian money in favor of Ukraine, Mitrakhovich did not rule out that Chinese, Arab and African assets in the West could be turned into a pressure card, and could be confiscated and used to achieve American interests. Therefore, the countries that own these assets may resort to transferring them outside America and Europe, as he expects.

Despite the Western pressures and the continuous economic sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow, he expressed his conviction that Western countries imposed harsh economic measures on Russia, and that they no longer had other options to destroy the Russian economy.

decisive stage

In turn, the former US diplomat in Moscow, Donald Jensen, saw that the war in Ukraine is heading towards a resolution, and that the next two months will be decisive in this war that broke out about a year ago, considering that the financial pressure on Russia reflects the general course of the war, because the West responds in its own way to Russian threats and aggression. over Ukraine.

Jensen added that the two sides cannot enter into a strategic conflict more than they are, considering that the Russian army has performed a "bad" performance and is targeting civilians in Ukraine, while Kyiv gets more weapons to counter the Russian advance.

How does Russia respond?

Moscow did not wait long to announce its response to the European Union's announcement that it was about to impose new sanctions on Moscow and use its assets to help Kyiv. Moscow announced the nationalization of 500 property and assets owned, especially by wealthy people who were said to be close to power and Ukrainian banks.

And the Russian authorities said that part of the money from those properties and assets will be used to finance the military intervention in Ukraine.

Mitrakhovich did not rule out that Moscow would resort to freezing the assets of Western companies in Russia, which amount to about $300 billion, which is close to the value of frozen Russian assets.

As for the credibility of countries placing their assets in America and Europe, Jensen refuted the statements of the Russian guest, and explained that there is a difference between the Russian international aggression and the property and assets owned by other countries in the West, because the practices of the Russian regime are "criminal" and its invasion of another country makes it different from the rest of the countries. .

The price of destruction in Ukraine

It is noteworthy that US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced - in line with the new authority granted by Congress to the Ministry of Justice - the transfer of some confiscated Russian assets and their use for the benefit of reconstruction in Ukraine, and making Moscow pay for the destruction it caused, he said.

Regarding the detailed data related to the frozen Russian property and assets, it is noteworthy that the work unit of the Western allies responsible for tracking the assets belonging to the Russian elites confirmed that the Western allies froze $ 30 billion in assets owned by the wealthy or the elites.

It also added that about $300 billion of the Russian Central Bank was covered by the freeze, and the Western business unit said that real estate owned or controlled by Russian nationals had been seized and sanctions imposed on them.