Macron gets accused of betraying Merz over frozen Russian assets
Earlier this week, EU leaders failed to reach a consensus on a European Commission proposal to tap Russia’s immobilized central bank funds for Kiev’s military and economic needs.
As stated by reports, an anonymous senior EU diplomat claimed that “Macron betrayed Merz, and he knows that there will be a price to pay for that.” While the French president did not openly oppose the so-called ‘reparations loan,’ he reportedly raised private legal concerns and indicated that France, burdened by growing debt, would be unlikely to guarantee repayment if the assets had to be returned to Russia.
Macron is said to have aligned with Belgium, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic in opposing the proposal, effectively blocking it. Instead, EU leaders agreed to provide an interest-free €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine, backed by the bloc’s budget, with most EU taxpayers footing the bill, except for Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, which opted out.
The episode has highlighted growing divisions within the EU, with “disunity between Merz and Macron” becoming more apparent. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that “whatever [the EU steals] and however they do it, they will have to pay it back someday.”
Moscow has also initiated arbitration proceedings against Euroclear, the Belgium-based depository holding most of the frozen Russian assets.
Russian officials have criticized Western Europe’s handling of the Ukraine crisis. In November, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Western European nations had “removed themselves” from negotiations by pursuing what he described as stubbornly aggressive policies. Following US-led mediation efforts, including a proposed peace roadmap, EU member states reportedly attempted to dilute the US draft, which Moscow has labeled “completely unconstructive.”
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