MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Attempts by the European Union authorities to appropriate Russian assets can be described not merely as theft, but as outright robbery, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference headlined "Results of the Year".
He noted that if Russian assets are seized, Russia will defend its interests in court and seek to identify jurisdictions that are not dependent on political decisions.
TASS has compiled the key statements made by the head of state.
Attempts to confiscate Russian assets in Europe amount not to theft but to outright robbery. "Theft is not an appropriate term. Theft is the covert taking of property. What they are trying to do here is out in the open — this is robbery," Putin said.
European countries have been unable to carry out this robbery because the consequences could prove severe for the would-be perpetrators themselves. "They have not declared that they will simply rob and take the assets. One of the ideas is to issue loans secured by our assets. But what does issuing a loan mean? It has consequences for the budget of each country — it increases the public debt of every country," Putin added.
