The EU is freezing Russian assets by 23 billion euros more than expected

The European Union has so far frozen about 23 billion euros from the Russian central bank. EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reinders made the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday. This amount is much lower than originally expected.

According to Russia, sanctions imposed around the world have frozen about $ 300 billion from the Russian central bank. Less than a tenth of these are in Europe. So, compared to the amount frozen in the United States, about $ 100 billion, this amount is dwarf, the Reinders said.

The Reinders did not explain at the press conference why the European Union, the world’s third-largest economy, froze so little of Russian money. He also declined to say whether all EU governments had reported the freeze. Many EU governments have been reluctant to implement sanctions and some countries are still blocking it.

Russian oil boycott

For example, the European Union has been trying for some time to persuade Hungarian Prime Minister Arban to boycott oil from Russia, but the Hungarian government opposes a total ban on Russian oil imports this year or next. Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria are demanding more time to switch to alternative energy sources.

In addition to the freezing of Russian money, 10 10 billion worth of assets have been frozen within the EU, such as villas and boats owned by officials and oligarchy affiliated with the Kremlin.