A senior Kremlin official has issued a stark warning that the European Union's proposal to seize billions in frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine could be seen as a direct justification for war.
Medvedev's Dire Warning to Brussels
Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and now one of the Kremlin's most hardline voices, made the incendiary statement on Thursday. He declared that Moscow would interpret any such move by the EU as a severe provocation.
In a strongly-worded declaration, Medvedev stated: 'If the crazy European Union does, after all, try to steal Russian assets frozen in Belgium under the guise of a so-called 'reparations loan', Russia may well view this move as tantamount to a casus belli with all the relevant implications for Brussels and individual EU countries.'
The £80 Billion Stakes
The threat centres on a specific EU plan to seize approximately £80 billion of Russian state assets that were frozen across the bloc following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The funds are intended to be repurposed as a form of reparations loan to aid Kyiv's war effort and reconstruction.
Medvedev's use of the Latin term 'casus belli' – a cause for war – marks a significant escalation in the Kremlin's rhetoric. It directly frames the potential asset seizure not as an economic measure, but as an act of aggression that could warrant a military response.
Implications for European Security
This warning represents one of the most explicit threats of direct conflict between Russia and the European Union since the war began. It places EU leaders in a difficult position, forcing them to weigh the urgent financial needs of Ukraine against the risk of a dramatic widening of the war.
The statement from such a high-profile Kremlin figure underscores Moscow's increasingly confrontational stance. It signals that any attempt to permanently confiscate the frozen assets will be met with the most severe consequences Russia can threaten.
This development comes as Western support for Ukraine faces critical junctures, making the decision on the frozen Russian funds one of the most geopolitically charged issues currently facing European capitals.
