BRUSSELS: The European Union has accelerated efforts to agree on a scheme to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine after a US-backed peace plan last week set out different ideas, EU officials said. EU leaders tried at a summit last month to agree on a plan to use 140 billion euros ($162 billion) in frozen Russian sovereign assets in Europe as a loan for Kyiv, but failed to secure the backing of Belgium, where much of the funds are held.

BRUSSELS: The European Union has accelerated efforts to agree on a scheme to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine after a US-backed peace plan last week set out different…

According to the Brussels-based central securities depositary, such a mechanism would be perceived as "confiscation" outside the European Union and spook investors