Washington proposes to lift the freeze on Russian assets...and Europe refuses

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The United States proposed to European countries to lift the freeze on some Russian sovereign assets, in an attempt to revive talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, but the proposal was met with European rejection.

According to what Reuters reported, on Wednesday, from the British newspaper "Financial Times", Washington has proposed a plan to lift the freeze on part of Russian assets and transfer them to an entity subject to the supervision of the United States.

The newspaper quoted informed sources that the American proposal comes within the framework of efforts to revitalize negotiations aimed at ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The Financial Times explained that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, presented the plan to European delegates.

However, the European delegates rejected the proposal, according to the sources relied upon by the newspaper.

The report did not clarify the size of the Russian assets included in the proposal, or the details of the entity to which the frozen funds would be transferred, nor did it reveal the European countries that participated in discussing the plan.

The proposed American plan links the file of frozen Russian sovereign assets to diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

According to the report, Washington is seeking to use part of these assets within arrangements it supervises, in an attempt to push the faltering talks towards a settlement.

But the European refusal indicates the continuing dispute over dealing with frozen Russian assets, and the extent to which they can be used in the negotiating process.

The published information did not include an official announcement about lifting the freeze or actually transferring any Russian assets, as the step is still part of an American proposal that the newspaper reported was rejected by the European delegates.