RT | Thursday, April 2, 2026 
EU will end up in ‘debt hole’ – Moscow

The EU will face a “debt hole” for tapping profits from frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has said, warning that the bloc will one day have to return the money to its rightful owner. Kiev’s Western backers froze around $300 billion in Russian central bank assets in 2022, most of it held at Brussels-based Euroclear. While the EU has so far been unable to seize the funds outright, it has been transferring profits generated from the assets – estimated at €3.5-4 billion ($3.7-4.2 billion) a year – to Ukraine. On Wednesday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced another €80 million ($92 million) tranche drawn from the proceeds. Commenting on the announcement, Volodin accused EU decision-makers of being “prone to robbery and theft of other people’s money and property.” “Once again, they stole the proceeds from our frozen assets. Which will have to be returned with interest – there is no other way!” he wrote in a post on Max. “Everyone involved in this, including Kallas, will end up in a debt hole. It’s damp and cold there. If any European officials think this is a threat, they’re right.” Moscow has described the use of its frozen sovereign assets and related profits as “theft” and “state-sponsored piracy,” warning that it undermines the global financial system. It has threatened “mirror measures,” including seizing Western assets in Russia, and has launched a number of lawsuits against Euroclear. It has also criticized the Western financing of Ukraine’s war effort, warning that it only prolongs the conflict...Read more