Vladimir Putin condemned the EU for its intention to use frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine, calling the action "theft" and warning of the consequences.

The President of Russia criticized the European Union for plans to use frozen Russian assets, worth nearly 200 billion euros, to finance Ukraine, stating that this act can only be considered "theft."

Following a meeting lasting over 14 hours, European leaders approved a loan of 90 billion euros for Ukraine's defense, but legal concerns in Belgium, where most of the assets are located, led to the abandonment of the idea of using them directly. Putin warned that the EU's actions will have "serious consequences" and compared the involved countries to "thieves."

He emphasized that Russia will contest these decisions in courts independent of political influence and stated that Europe will have to return the stolen assets. He also mentioned that Russia's financial situation is more stable than that of France.