A Precedent for Overreach and Control: EU’s Seizure of Russian Assets

The European Commission announced a loan of up to 35 billion euros (about 39 billion dollars) to Ukraine, funded by revenues from frozen Russian assets. President Ursula von der Leyen remarked that this decision secures Russia’s contribution to Ukraine’s rehabilitation costs. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the cash would be mostly utilized for energy and defense, addressing the country’s serious power shortages. He intends to develop a “victory plan” against Russia with the US. This Monday, President Joe Biden will seek American backing. This financing aligns with the G7’s promise made in June.

Editor’s Note: This raises major questions regarding the rule of law and property rights. By seizing and dividing money from these assets without proper legal proceedings, the EU essentially oversteps its authority, acting as judge and executor without due process.

This act could set a dangerous precedent; if the EU can do this to a sovereign nation like Russia for not aligning with its policies, it raises the question of how easily they could exercise such power over citizens who dissent or disagree with the EU’s standards. We’ve already seen this play out with figures like Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, and Elon Musk, who have faced pressure for resisting the EU’s censorship demands. These actions indicate a troubling capacity of authoritarian control disguised as a commitment to “values,” making it impossible to distinguish between democratic principles and power politics. [See also: RUSSIA CRUSHING UKRAINE, NATO, AND THE US IN KURSK AND EASTERN UKRAINE., Zelenskyy’s Cabinet Overhaul Raises Questions Amid Ukraine-Russia Conflict, The Real Cause of the Ukraine War: NATO’s Continued Expansion, Ukraine Faces Heavy Losses as Zelensky and NATO Prolong a Losing War, How Diplomatic Failures Escalated the Ukraine-Russia Conflict]

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