Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warns that the confiscation of Russian assets from Euroclear accounts by the EU will result in a "painful response" from Russia.

Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that any action by the European Union to confiscate Russian assets from Euroclear accounts will provoke a "painful response" from Russia.

She emphasized that the EU does not have the legal means to do this and described such an action as theft. The European Commission's proposal to use these frozen assets to grant Ukraine a repair loan worth 140 billion euros is set to be discussed at a meeting of European leaders.

However, there are disagreements among member states, particularly from Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who is calling for legal guarantees before supporting the measure, fearing reprisals from Moscow.

Other European leaders, such as Viktor Orbán and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have warned about the risks associated with the legal complexity of the plan, while Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo believes there are viable solutions to move the plan forward.