Lithuania’s president calls on EU to forward Russian assets to Ukraine ASAP

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says it is unacceptable to further delay the decision on the use of immobilized Russian assets for the needs of Ukraine.

This was reported by the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT, Ukrinform saw.

"Today, taking into account what is happening in Ukraine, and taking into account how long we have been dealing with the issue without budging, it is simply unacceptable not to act," the president told reporters after the European Council in Brussels.

The European Commission made a proposal to use income derived from frozen Russian assets, but there are objections to the use of the assets as such for Ukraine's needs, the president says. "We advocate a more ambitious goal, meaning that the assets themselves, the property itself, should be involved and used not only for the reconstruction of Ukraine, but also for military purposes," Nauseda said.

According to the president, representatives of some states still have doubts about the possibility of using frozen assets for Ukraine's needs. "It is quite difficult to talk about legal accuracy at a time when there is obvious injustice and people are being killed in Ukraine. We will really try to create a political momentum so that lawyers make decisions faster," the president noted.

As reported, the European Commission proposes that the income from immobilized Russian assets be used to arm Ukraine. The proposal stipulates that 90% of the funds will be sent to a fund that will cover the costs of procuring weapons for Ukraine. The remaining 10% will be transferred to the EU budget and used to increase the capacities of Ukraine’s own defense industry.