- Lavrov
warns Moscow will retaliate forcefully. - Threat
targets European troop deployment in Ukraine. - Retaliation
promised if frozen Russian assets seized.
In front of Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, the
Federation Council, Lavrov gave a speech detailing Moscow’s position on the war
and its conflict with the West. According to Reuters, Lavrov stated that while
Russia does not intend to go to war with Europe, it is ready to take action if
it believes Western nations are intensifying the confrontation.
“We will respond to any hostile steps, including the
deployment of European military contingents in Ukraine and the expropriation of
Russian assets. And we are already prepared for this response,”
Lavrov
said, according to Reuters.
Lavrov also commended President Donald Trump for his
attitude to a possible resolution, referring to him as the “only Western
leader” who comprehends the reasons why the war was
“inevitable.” According to Reuters, he stated that Moscow values
Trump’s desire for communication but pointed out that Trump is “not only
in no hurry to lift, but is actually increasing” sanctions on Russia.
Trump’s criticism of Europe earlier this week was mentioned
in his remarks. Trump claimed in a Monday interview with Politico that European
leaders “talk but they don’t produce,” calling them “weak”
and preoccupied with being “politically correct.” He went on to say
that even if it “provokes
pushback,” he intends to keep supporting European politicians who hold
similar opinions.
“If we are allies, we must act as such — and allies
do not threaten to interfere in each other’s domestic political life and
democratic choices,”
European Council President António Costa told a
crowd at the Jacques Delors Institute conference in Paris on Monday,
criticizing Trump’s comments, according to Reuters. Europe and the UnitedStates “no longer share” the same understanding of the global system,
Costa continued.
“We will respond to any hostile steps, including the
deployment of European military contingents in Ukraine and the expropriation of
Russian assets. And we are already prepared for this response,”
Lavrov
said, according to Reuters.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, announced
what he described as the first official meeting with senior Trump
administration officials on Ukraine’s reconstruction while Lavrov accused
Europe of impeding peace efforts.
According to him, they talked about “key elements for
recovery, various mechanisms, and visions for reconstruction” and went
over revisions to the “20 points of the framework document for ending the
war.” Zelenskyy stated that “overall security… will determine
economic security and underpin a safe business environment.”
The Ukrainian president said both sides agreed to continue
talks, adding:
“As always, there will be no delays on our side. We are
working to deliver results.” He closed by thanking Trump, writing:
“I
thank President Trump and his team for their substantive work and
support.”
What legal mechanisms allow Europe to use frozen central
bank assets?
Europe can use frozen Russian central bank means primarily
through circular mechanisms like interest income redirection and”
restitutions loans” backed by those means, avoiding outright confiscation
to misbehave with transnational law on autonomous impunity.
EU regulations bear magazines like Euroclear to insulate and
deflect gains (around €3 – 5 billion annually) from progressed bonds to a
Ukraine Support Fund, justified as countermeasures under Council Regulation
833/2014 for Russia’s war aggression.
The European Commission’s offer creates a special purpose
vehicle( SPV) where Euroclear transfers cash balances from frozen means to the
EU at zero interest; the EU also issues zero-pasteboard bonds guaranteed by G7
countries to advance €90 – 140 billion to Ukraine, using Composition 122( 1)
TFEU for exigency measures via good maturity voting.
