Russia has issued a strong warning to the European Union (EU), stating it will respond if the bloc proceeds with the confiscation of Russian assets that are currently frozen. The spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, affirmed that Moscow's response will be a 'surprise' for the EU, although she refrained from giving further details about the nature of the retaliation. The tension intensified after Von der Leyen proposed a revised plan on Wednesday to use the frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, reducing the proposed funding amount from $186 billion to about $105 billion. The plan immediately faced opposition from Belgium, the country where the majority of these funds are frozen, specifically in Euroclear, a securities depository based in Brussels. Belgium rejected the proposal, arguing that it does not adequately address the financial and legal risks associated with the confiscation of these assets. Zakharova also described the behavior of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as 'inappropriate'.
