A senior Kremlin spokesman warned Friday that Russia will respond to the European Union’s decision to transfer the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.
There will be no immediate response, but Russia will consider next steps, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“But of course such steps from the European Commission will not go unanswered,” he said.
The European Commission has released €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) in interest income from Russian assets frozen by the EU, the first time the EU has done so.
The money is intended for the defence of Ukraine against the ongoing Russian invasion and for the reconstruction of the country, wrote European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
According to the Commission, around €210 billion in Russian central bank assets have been frozen in the EU in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear recently announced that it received approximately €4.4 billion in interest on these assets in 2023.