Estonian President Alar Karis officially adopted a law on Thursday that would allow Russian assets frozen under sanctions to be used for reparations to Ukraine.
The measure was adopted by the parliament of the Baltic EU and NATO country in Tallinn earlier this month.
It allows the assets of Russian companies and individuals that can be proven to have contributed to military aggression to be used to compensate for the damage caused by the Russian invasion.
Karis admitted in a statement that the seizure of assets due to involvement in military aggression raises unresolved legal questions.
However, he said that parliament should also be able to make political decisions in such a gray area.
Critics of the law argued that it may be unconstitutional and that implementation would be difficult and time-consuming.
Estonia is the first European country to adopt such a law.
“Regardless of what one thinks about the solution chosen in Estonia, there is no doubt that we must find effective ways to guarantee the right of victims of aggression to compensation from those who caused the damage,” Karis said.
Due to legal concerns and fear of retaliation from Moscow, many EU countries are showing restraint when it comes to using Russian resources.
So far, the EU has only succeeded in transferring interest income from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.
