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Starmer and von der Leyen discuss progress on confiscation of Russian assets

14 December 2025 00:47 (UTC +04:00)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a telephone conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during which the parties discussed the expropriation of Russian sovereign assets, according to a statement released by the office at 10 Downing Street, APA reports.

"Their conversation focused on ongoing work on the US-proposed peace plan to end the bloodshed in Ukraine. They agreed that now is a critical moment for Ukraine's future and that Europe will support it for as long as it takes to achieve a just and lasting peace. They also discussed progress on the mobilization of frozen Russian sovereign assets," it said.

The European Commission hopes to secure a decision from EU member states at the December 18-19 summit to expropriate Russian assets worth €210 billion, of which €185 billion are blocked on the Euroclear platform in Belgium. Belgium is resisting this decision, demanding legally binding guarantees from all EU member states that they will compensate the Kingdom for the financial losses caused by Russia's retaliatory measures.