Pablo R. SuanzesBrussels Correspondent
Brussels Correspondent
Updated Wednesday, February 28, 2024-14:24
War in Europe This is how Russia has escaped economic sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine
Russia Navalny's widow fears arrests during the funeral of the Russian opposition leader who died in prison
The EU has been debating what to do with the frozen assets of Russia and its oligarchs
for more than a year
.
Among the measures included in the 13 rounds of sanctions is the immobilization of all types of financial assets, including reserves of the Central Bank of Russia.
The 27, the community institutions, the OECD or the G7 have been thinking for a long time about what to do with them so that "Russia pays the costs of the war."
Central banks and many capitals have serious doubts about the legality and convenience of simply confiscating them, and in recent months the idea of using those resources, which have been idle for some time, to generate benefits, and use those profits, has been sought and outlined.
Or even put a high rate on profits, which seems to satisfy everyone more.
But the exact use has never been clear.
Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has given some form to those thoughts, advocating
using asset money to buy weapons and ammunition for Kiev
.
The main debate in the plenary session of the European Parliament this Wednesday has focused on Security and Defense, the fashionable topic in Brussels.
Von der Leyen has already said that the next Commission, which she hopes to lead, should have a person responsible for Defense.
It is a delicate issue, and high representative Josep Borrell, who has never had the slightest harmony with his boss, has repeatedly criticized it, since there are no powers included in the treaties.
He would rather be a person responsible for the Defense industry, but who could
clash with the powers
of Industry in general or the Internal Market.
Another option would be to give him the wallet to purchase ammunition or weapons, but that is politically much more delicate.
And it is within that framework that Von der Leyen has suggested the use of the assets.
"I would like us to think bigger. It is time to start a conversation about using the windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to jointly purchase military equipment for Ukraine. There could be no greater symbol or better use for that money than to make Ukraine and throughout Europe a safer place to live," said the President of the Commission in
Strasbourg, in plenary session
.
"Ultimately, this is about Europe taking responsibility for its own security. The simple truth is that we do not have the luxury of comfort. We have no control over elections or decisions in other parts of the world and we have no time to skirt the issue. With or without the support of our partners, we cannot let Russia win. And the cost of insecurity, of a Russian victory, is far greater than any savings we can make now. That is why it is time for us to Europe take a step forward," he urged.
Until now the usual discourse always talked about using the money for the reconstruction of the country, in general terms.
But there is a certain
wave of pessimism in Europe or Washington
regarding the military stalemate, the problems in carrying out aid packages for Ukraine or the possibility of a major Russian offensive in late spring, now that it is rearming and regrouping with the help of Korea. of the North, Iran or China.
So the message is clear: better to use money, any money, to avoid defeat, because without victory there can be no reconstruction.
In recent weeks, heads of state and government, ministers, and senior military officials have raised their voices, talking about the risks of a Russian attack in the next five or seven years, including on NATO territory.
There is some real fear, signs, but also a desire to warn citizens, warn them, make them prepare for the efforts and changes that go hand in hand with a war or at least a war economy.
On Monday, after inviting several European leaders, Emmanuel Macron scared many by not ruling out European soldiers in Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz quickly came out to deny the possibility, and Elysée himself came to say that there was no talk of combat troops, but perhaps of
training or demining
.
But the noise is there.
NAVALNAYA ASKS EUROPE TO WAKE UP
Yulia Navalnaya
, the widow of the opponent Alexei Navalny, who died this month in a Russian prison at the hands of Putin's men,
was also present on the plenary session of the European Parliament this Wednesday .
She, who has taken charge of the foundation and will continue the opposition's work, has urged Europeans to wake up, to act, to "stop being boring" if they want to defeat Putin.
The EU has this reputation for being boring, rigorous, procedural.
To do things slowly, predictably.
It is an important machine, but its steps are also predictable.
"They must stop being boring. They cannot harm Putin with another resolution or package of sanctions, they will not defeat him thinking that he is a man of principles or morals. That is not the case, and Alexei saw it a long time ago. "Yes, really. They want to defeat Putin, they have to innovate (...) They will not harm Putin with another resolution or another round of sanctions that is no different from the previous ones (...) They are not dealing with a politician but with a bloodthirsty gangster (. ..) The most important thing is the people close to Putin, his friends, his associates and those who guard the mafia's money (...) You, all of us, must fight against this criminal gang," the Russian citizen urged them. to the deputies, who in 2021 gave her husband the
Sakharov Prize.
Navalnaya insisted that, in this case, being politically innovative "means fighting organized crime, not political competition. Not diplomatic messages, but investigations into the financial machinery. Not statements of concern, but investigating the mafia's associates in their countries, the discreet lawyers and financiers who help Putin and his friends hide the money," he concluded.