EU countries look to extend freeze on Russian assets to secure G7 loan to Ukraine

Brussels: European Union member states will on Wednesday discuss options for extending the renewal period of sanctions on the Russian central bank’s assets to secure a Group of Seven plan to extend a major loan to Ukraine, a EU draft document showed.

Leaders of the Group of Seven major democracies and the EU, agreed in June to use the interest on frozen Russian assets to back a $50-billion loan for Ukraine to help it defend itself against Moscow’s invasion.

The bulk of the some $300 billion in assets is held in EU financial institutions, mostly in Belgium. According to EU regulations, the sanctions regime on Russia needs the unanimous approval of EU states to be renewed every six months.

Some of the Group of Seven major democracies, including the United States, are concerned there may come a time when unanimity in the 27-nation EU is not reached, jeopardising the entire loan, EU diplomats said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has closer ties to Russia than other national leaders in the EU, and has repeatedly held up moves to impose new restrictions and financial support to Ukraine.

EU ambassadors will on Wednesday discuss two options to ease these concerns. One would be an “open-ended” extension of the sanctions regime that immobilised Russia’s central bank assets.

“This shall be reviewed by the Council at regular intervals (e.g. twelve months), on the basis of clear predefined criteria (i.e. the end of the war of aggression and assurances of non-repetition, the payment of compensation by Russia, etc.),” the document said.

The other option would be to extend the renewal period to up to three years. Unanimity among EU member states would still be required in either case and these extensions would apply only to the Russian central bank assets.

The two options aim to “enhance legal certainty and predictability for G7 partners for the extraordinary revenue streams, which shall be made available to Ukraine to service and repay additional bilateral loans by the EU and G7 partners.”