Russia to defend its interests if its assets were seized: Kremlin
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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned against the West seizing Russian assets, saying it would have to retaliate in similar ways.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks to journalists on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, September 11, 2023 (AP)
The seizure of Russian assets would be a nail in the Western economic system's coffin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.
In a presser, Peskov underlined that foreign investors and governments holding their assets in the West will start contemplating it a dozen times before investing their money because confidentiality will disappear overnight under a single foolish and uncalculated decision that would trigger decades of recovery.
On Russia's reaction to the West seizing its assets, the Russian official said, "It is too early to discuss this, but Russia has Western assets from various structures," affirming that the country would indefinitely defend its interests, including by going to court.
In the same context, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russia rejects the possibility of exchanging new Russian Federation regions for its frozen assets.
This comes after Germany suggested that Russia's assets remain frozen to be used as leverage in negotiations to end the war between both Ukraine and Russia and force Russia to forego the Russian Federation regions, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"I don't know who claims what, but assets cannot be exchanged for territory. We do not sell our homeland. And Russian assets must remain inviolable, otherwise Western theft will be met with a harsh response. And many in the West have already realized this, but it's a pity that not all of them," Zakharova said on Telegram.
Read more: EU pleads Russia not sanction them after sanctioning it for years
Russia considering downgrading ties with US if assets are seized
Russia has stated that it is considering reducing diplomatic and commercial ties with the United States if its assets are taken by the US government.
According to the RIA Novosti news agency, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated on Thursday that if Western governments proceed with proposals to seize its frozen assets worth approximately $300 billion, Russia will consider downgrading its diplomatic relations with the United States.
Western countries have now frozen around $300 billion of the Russian central bank's assets and reserves that were held in their jurisdictions after the start of the war in Ukraine. The use of Russian assets to fund the Ukrainian regime without legal justification has even spurred criticism from the director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) European Department, Alfred Kammer.
"With regard to the seizure of Russia’s assets … our view is that is something for the relevant jurisdictions and courts to determine and to decide," Kammer told a press briefing on Friday, adding, "From our side, what is important is that whatever action is taken, that the implications of the functioning of the international monetary system are being taken into account."
Kammer, reiterating the IMF’s previous statements on the issue, recalled IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva’s words that "one needs to be wary of unintended consequences" of such actions.
RIA quoted Ryabkov as stating that "lowering the level of diplomatic relations is one of the options, of course. Many high-ranking representatives in our government have already spoken about the issues of our financial, economic, and material response to this step (confiscation), which we are warning our opponents, as before, not to take."
Without giving further details, Ryabkov expressed that Russia was now "studying the optimal form of reaction, where countermeasures include actions against the assets of our Western opponents as well as diplomatic response measures."
Read more: G7 to keep Russian assets frozen until reparation to Ukraine paid
