Berlin Signals Openness to EU Plan on Unlocking Frozen Russian Funds for Ukraine

Berlin Signals Openness to EU Plan on Unlocking Frozen Russian Funds for Ukraine

LN24 / 1 hour

September 25, 2025

1 min read

The German government is open to a European Union plan to release frozen Russian assets in support of Ukraine, according to a government source.
The initiative under discussion would involve transferring up to €200 billion (around $235 billion) in Russian funds held in a Belgian depository to Ukraine. These funds would be substituted with EU-backed bonds. The proposal is expected to be a major topic at an informal EU summit in Copenhagen next week.
So far, the EU has only utilised the interest generated by the frozen Russian assets, which were blocked following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Germany, the EU’s largest economy and the second-biggest military supporter of Ukraine, had previously voiced legal reservations about fully seizing these funds. However, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil recently suggested that Berlin may be re-evaluating its stance on the issue.

“The German government is open to the debate on the EU Commission’s new proposals,” the government source said, without confirming the specific details of the plan.