The president’s main ally Russian President Vladimir Putin She warned that Moscow would respond in kind if the European Union used its frozen reserves at the Russian Central Bank. “Such a decision will require a similar reaction from the Russian Federation,” Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said via the Telegram app. He added that assets from “unfriendly countries” much larger than Russia’s frozen reserves would be confiscated. The European Union is seeking to implement plans to impose an unexpected tax on frozen reserves totaling 211 billion euros ($223 billion), which have generated profits amounting to nearly 3 billion euros.
A meeting of national security officials in Malta on Saturday showed continued support for key elements of the so-called peace formula in Kiev, EU and Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian Minister of Economy Yulia Sviridenko proposed a plan of international guarantees for uninterrupted food supplies, including strengthening the protection of ports and logistics infrastructure in Ukraine, removing sea mines and supporting the security of ships and cargo delivered from Ukrainian ports. The conference was attended by representatives of 66 countries and international organizations. Armenia, the Vatican and Mexico were among the new attendees. China’s absence was notable.