Tajani: Italy Is Not Opposed to Using Frozen Russian Assets, but Legal Problems May Arise

Italy is not opposed in principle to using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, but any move must first clear legal hurdles.

Speaking on arrival at the Gymnich meeting, Tajani said the issue had repeatedly been discussed. The decision had not been taken, he said, because of possible legal problems rather than political objections.

“

We are not opposed in principle, but we need to see whether the legal grounds exist to do it.

Tajani’s comments came as some countries pressed for the confiscation of frozen Russian assets and their use in support of Ukraine. He did not say that a decision had been reached.

“

The issue has always been that there may be legal problems with intervening.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc had started with a limited number of additions to its Russia sanctions blacklist, while member states had proposed many more. She said the proposals needed to be checked for legal compliance, a process that would take time.

Kallas also referred to hybrid attacks across Europe, saying they could prompt countries that had not shown enough determination on sanctions to act more firmly. “If we want to end this war, we must all concentrate our efforts and take them to a new level,” she said. Regarding events in Leipzig, she said the EU had summoned the Russian ambassador, as many member states had done.

“

If we want to end this war, we must all concentrate our efforts and take them to a new level.