Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order Wednesday that gives Russia temporary control over Russian subsidiaries of two Western energy firms, a response to the US and EU freezing Russian assets.
The order took control of the Russian assets of the Finnish firm Fortum and the German-owned Uniper. The Kremlin warned that the action could be expanded to take control of more assets.
“The decree adopted is a response to the aggressive actions of unfriendly countries,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “This initiative mirrors the attitude of Western governments towards foreign assets of Russian companies.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the US, and its allies have frozen hundreds of billions of dollars that belong to Russia’s central bank and more than $58 billion that belongs to sanctioned Russians. The US has seized some of the assets and transferred over $5 million to Ukraine and is looking to use more Russian funds for Kyiv.
Peskov said that Russia’s move was temporary and “does not deal with property issues and does not deprive the owners of their assets because the external management is temporary and only means that the original owner no longer has the right to make management decisions.”
It’s likely Moscow could freeze more Western assets if the US and its allies impose more sanctions. Peskov signaled the seized assets could be used as leverage by Moscow to get some sanctions relief. “The main purpose of the decree is to form a compensation fund for the possible application of reciprocal measures in response to the illegal expropriation of Russian assets abroad,” he said.
Poor putin doesn’t understand. See, if america does it, it’s not stealing/murdering/lying. It’s only stealing/murdering/lying when he does it. (at least in the eyes of our media).
Yeh, whaddaya expect from an unreconstructed Stalinist? It’s in the Putin playbook.
He Seems way 2 velvet glove 2B even a minor league rookie Stalin 2 me.
Thank God that Putin can channel some Stalin vibes. As we saw he had a real good answer to the 2014 Obama, CInton, Nuland coup, when he grabbed Crimea. Now he is working on the Donbas and Luhansk. Perhaps the Zionazis will wise up B4 they lose even more in this test of wills…!!!!!!! Whose Idea was it to pit a land of farmers against the biggest, most and best armed state on the planet…???? what could possibly go wrong 4 the Necon plotters????
Russia’s economy (Jeffrey Sachs) is one and one half trillion; NATO’s is 32. No mistake Russia wants to bleed NATO; it has no wish to destroy Ukraine.
It’s gonna be embarrassing when the time comes for the US to plead with Russia for a return to Detente.
When some new plague kills all the Neocons, or they get voted out…????7 cute buy in you
Only time will tell how this will end, Will they/be still be demanding. that Russia withdraw completely and trust their tender mercies for the Russian speaking half…..???? Or will they see the darkness farther in this narrowing tunnel——-?????
The plague will be a mob of angry stockholders in nominally American corporations gone bust. Shut out of the booming businesses in the Multipolar World.
Or maybe it’ll be the traditional peasants with pitchforks.
Maybe both.
US sanctions = theft of another countries money , at this minute the yanks are stealing Syrian oil .
I have no wish to sound overly dramatic but does it occur to anyone that wars can get started this way?