The Russian Foreign Ministry says that Moscow has warned Washington that diplomatic relations between the two countries will be severely damaged if Russian assets are confiscated.
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Russian Foreign Ministry
The head of the North American Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Darchiev, said today, Saturday, that “any possible confiscation of Russian assets by the United States will destroy bilateral relations.”
“We warn the Americans about the dire consequences of such actions, which will permanently harm bilateral relations, and this is neither in their interest nor in ours,” Darchiev told TASS.
He added: “Russia has warned the United States that diplomatic relations will be severely damaged and could even be severed if Russia is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.”
It is noteworthy that the United States and its European allies have frozen $30 billion in assets owned by wealthy Russians with ties to President Vladimir Putin, including yachts, helicopters, real estate and works of art, according to the administration of US President Joe Biden.
A US prosecutor said in July that “the Department of Justice is seeking a broader mandate from Congress to seize the assets of people close to Putin as a means of putting pressure on Moscow.”
The US Senate (Congress) had approved a legislative initiative that states: “These assets must be sold and the proceeds used to provide military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and help Ukrainian refugees.”.
Some of these assets belong to Russian people and businessmen whom Washington accuses of providing support to the Russian authorities.
Earlier, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, commenting on the initiative of the US Congress to confiscate Russian assets, confirmed that her country “You will respond to all actionsincluding foolish ones.”