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A Ukrainian soldier fires on Russian positions near Bakhmut

Photo: Libkos / dpa

According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the EU should use profits from frozen Russian assets to buy weapons for Ukraine.

"It is time to start a conversation about using the windfalls from frozen Russian assets to jointly purchase military equipment for Ukraine," she told the European Parliament.

"There could be no stronger symbol and no better use for this money than to make Ukraine and all of Europe a safer place to live."

The background is the discussion about how to deal with frozen assets from Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

The USA is urging that the approximately 264 billion euros in frozen money be used for Ukraine.

For legal reasons, the EU states, on the other hand, only want to use the interest accruing from the frozen balances.

Two thirds of assets have been frozen in the EU.

Armament “massively ramped up”

Von der Leyen also spoke out in favor of rearmament in the EU member states.

It is necessary to “rebuild, strengthen and modernize the armed forces of the member states.”

The capacities in the European defense industry must be “massively increased” in the next five years.

The danger of war for the EU "may not be imminent, but it is not impossible," she said, referring to Russia.

At the end of January, the EU countries had already agreed to set aside interest profits from frozen Russian assets for Ukraine.

However, the exact intended use still needs to be clarified.

It was also discussed whether the money could be used to rebuild the infrastructure in Ukraine that was badly damaged by Russia.

Since the start of Russia's war of aggression, the European Union has frozen around 200 billion euros in Russian assets.

However, due to high legal hurdles in Germany and other countries, they cannot simply be confiscated.

In her speech, von der Leyen also gave an outlook on a new European defense industry strategy that her Commission plans to present in the coming weeks.

One of the main objectives is to give priority to the joint procurement of weapons.

lpz/AFP/Reuters