AfD MP Rothfuss: Using Frozen Russian Assets Would Undermine Global Trust in EU and Euro

BERLIN, September 22. /TASS/. The potential use of the Russian Central Bank's frozen assets to aid Kiev would undermine global confidence in the European Union and the euro, representing an unlawful and hostile move, Rainer Rothfuss, a Bundestag member from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, told TASS.

"It is a step that is completely unlawful under international law and hostile," Rothfuss said.

According to him, discussions regarding the use of Russian assets clearly have one objective: to further provoke Russia.

"The EU and the euro would lose global confidence as a result. Essentially, our 'soft power' would melt away like ice in the sun," the German MP stressed.

The EU and the Group of Seven (G7) nations have frozen approximately €300 billion in Russian assets, with about €185 billion held at the Belgian depository Euroclear. In December 2025, the Bank of Russia filed an 18.2-trillion-ruble ($216 bln) lawsuit against Euroclear with the Moscow Arbitration Court, seeking the return of frozen funds, the value of blocked securities, and lost profits. Meanwhile, the EU is seeking schemes to utilize these funds for Ukraine's needs. It acknowledges a lack of legal mechanisms for such operations, which threaten to erode international investor confidence.

The Russian side has repeatedly stated that the use of its frozen assets by European nations amounts to theft, constitutes a crime, and will prompt retaliation.