EU's Kallas says Russia won't get frozen assets back without paying reparations

Aug 30, 2025

Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas speaks during a press conference after the informal EU defence ministers meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, August 29, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Liselotte Sabroe/via REUTERS — Liselotte Sabroe

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Saturday it was not possible to imagine giving back Russian assets frozen inside the bloc due to the war in Ukraine unless Moscow has paid reparations.

"We can't possibly imagine that ... if ... there is a ceasefire or peace deal that these assets are given back to Russia if they haven't paid for the reparations," she told reporters before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen.

(Reporting by Andrew Gray, editing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen)

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