The United Kingdom pressed this Friday (24) for countries allied with Ukraine to reach an agreement to use Russian assets frozen during the war in Eastern Europe to strengthen the West’s position in future peace negotiations. The request came at the same time that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London for a summit on the future of the armed conflict.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said it will require countries in the “Coalition of the Willing (temporary alliance formed for a specific reason)” to withdraw Russian oil and natural gas from the market, in addition to supplying Kiev with more long-range missiles.
The supply of new weapons is a long-standing request of Zelensky and was once again highlighted after the Ukrainian’s meeting last week with United States President Donald Trump at the White House. The Kiev delegation tried to convince the Republican to supply long-range Tomahawk missiles, which could reach Moscow, the capital of Russia. However, the request met resistance from Washington.
On the other hand, the president praised Trump’s decision to impose sanctions on the two largest Russian oil companies. The action is considered a major turnaround, considering that the North American had plans for a new summit with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.
In addition to weapons, Ukraine’s head of state asked European Union (EU) leaders to use Russian assets to provide military resources to the country’s forces. The European bloc agreed to meet Ukrainians’ “urgent financial needs” for the next two years, but stopped short of endorsing a plan to use Moscow’s assets to finance a loan to Kiev.
Russia warns West of “painful response”
The Moscow government has promised a “painful response” if assets are seized and sent to Ukraine. Putin also said that the sanctions against oil companies were a hostile act, but stated that they did not affect the Russian economy.
The head of state also warned of a “very serious, if not completely overwhelming” response in the event of a possible Tomahawk missile attack against Moscow.
