Trump Admin Stance on Frozen Russian Assets Unclear, Think Tank Says
The Trump administration hasn't yet indicated what it wants to do about the roughly $300 billion in Russian assets that the U.S. and its allies froze after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Brookings Institution said in a commentary April 16.
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During the Biden administration, the U.S. and other Group of Seven nations agreed to provide $50 billion in loans to Ukraine, which will be repaid with interest generated from the frozen assets (see 2406140056). Although a U.S. law enacted in April 2024 authorized seizing the assets (see 2404240043), the Biden administration didn't use that authority, Brookings noted.
While some U.S. lawmakers recently renewed calls to seize the assets and transfer them to Ukraine, Europe, which controls most of the assets, is divided on the issue, Brookings said. Some officials in Europe believe such a move might undermine international law or harm the euro.
Russia has threatened to challenge a seizure in legal venues, as well as seize an equivalent amount of foreign assets in Russia. It's unclear whether its frozen assets have played a role in negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war.