US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant believes that frozen Russian assets should continue to be used as leverage in negotiations with Moscow.
Points of attention
- The US Treasury Secretary supports the use of frozen Russian assets as leverage in negotiations with Moscow, highlighting their importance in the negotiation process.
- Confiscating assets is not a priority, but the US sees the potential to use these frozen assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
- The US is urging European partners to join in on sanctions pressure against Russia, with only Canada expressing willingness to take potential secondary measures.
US against confiscation of frozen Russian assets
"Regarding the frozen Russian assets: I think that's part of the negotiations with President Putin (Russian dictator Vladimir Putin - ed.). So I don't think we should immediately seize them. It's an important lever in the negotiation process," Bessent said.
At the same time, he did not rule out that some or all of these assets could go to the reconstruction of Ukraine.
The Finance Minister also added that the US needs more serious assistance from European partners in the issue of sanctions pressure on Russia.
According to Bessent, Europe has not expressed a desire to join in potential secondary tariffs against Russia. Of all the G7 members, only Canada has expressed a willingness to take such measures.
The US should not bear this burden alone. They have this war at their fingertips. They have a vested interest in ending it, just as we do. Of course, only President Trump has really made progress on this issue, and Americans should not bear all the burden alone. So the 400 million-plus people in the EU who want this to end must also be part of the solution.
Scott Bessent
US Treasury Secretary
Recall that earlier, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever stated that he does not support the confiscation of frozen Russian assets, most of which are held in the Belgian depository Euroclear.
