EU 'Keeps Ukraine Afloat' With €90B, Still Won't Touch Frozen Russian Assets
Today's Bloomberg 'Daybreak Europe' excitedly reports the EU's €90 billion loan to Ukraine, framed as strengthening its 'negotiating position' while the US pushes 'peace talks.' A curiously generous move given the estimated €260 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets sitting idly in European coffers. One might wonder why Europe's taxpayers are on the hook for a fresh €90 billion while
hundreds of billions of the aggressor's funds remain untouchable, allegedly for 'legal stability.' This isn't just a loan; it's a financial punt, ensuring Russian oligarchs face no real consequences while Western citizens foot the bill. This steadfast refusal to touch Russian state assets, often touted as a defense of international financial order, conveniently protects the very system that
benefits from opaque capital flows, even from state-backed aggression. It suggests a curious prioritization of financial precedent over the humanitarian and geopolitical realities created by Russia’s invasion. When 'peace talks' are concurrent with fresh debt, and aggressor assets are safer than a nation's sovereignty, what exactly are we 'negotiating' for?