EU Freezes Russian Assets to Prevent Hungary and Slovakia from Blocking Ukraine Support
The European Union has indefinitely frozen Russian assets within Europe, a move designed to prevent Hungary and Slovakia from blocking the use of these funds to support Ukraine. This decision, announced on Friday, is part of a broader strategy to ensure that the billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets can be used to underwrite a significant loan aimed at meeting Ukraine's financial and military needs over the next two years. The assets, estimated to be around 210 billion euros, were initially frozen under sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. These sanctions require renewal every six months, which necessitates the approval of all 27 EU member countries. However, Hungary and Slovakia, both of which have governments friendly to Moscow, have opposed further support to Ukraine, prompting the EU to take this decisive action. 
