At the meeting of the leaders of the European Union, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reacted angrily to President Andrzej Duda's proposal regarding Russian assets, the Financial Times reports. According to the newspaper, the German politician hit the head of the Polish president and surprised other leaders.
As reported by “FT” news agency, the leaders of the European Union met in Brussels this week and discussed ways to maintain support for Ukraine before Donald Trump becomes the US president. One of the ideas was to release frozen Russian assets to anger the German chancellor.
“FT”: Scholz “cut” Duda
As the Financial Times wrote, President Duda proposed to confiscate and distribute Russian state assets worth about 260 billion euros. It was this idea that met with a strong reaction from the German leader. As the newspaper notes, Scholz “shouted” the Polish president, which surprised the participants of the meeting.
– You do not understand how this affects the stability of our financial markets. You don't even use euros! – Sholz was quoted by “FT” based on the accounts of three people.
The newspaper explained that the German leader could be offended by another attempt to implement an idea that Germany, France and Italy have repeatedly discussed and rejected. The US and Britain supported the seizure of Russian assets.
Summit in Brussels
“The first talks with Trump and his team after the election have given Europeans hope that they can still influence his views. However, they disagree not only on the issue of increasing financial and military aid to Kiev, but according to Scholz -Duda. The dispute also showed the problem of securing any peace agreement, “wrote FT.
According to the newspaper, “the stakes are huge” because “not only the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, but also the long-term security of Europe is at stake.”
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi attended a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at his residence in Brussels. Poland was represented by President Andrzej Duda. The meeting was attended by: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
Trump at the end of the war
Trump has repeatedly vowed to end the war “within a day” of his inauguration. According to “FT”, this may mean that the president-elect may want to force Ukraine to accept the peace plan, even if it is a beneficial solution for Moscow.
“The American leader has often undermined Ukraine's position in the past. He recently claimed that 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict, which Kiev has flatly denied,” wrote the Financial Times.
The newspaper emphasized that most of the countries of the European Union, except for Hungary and Slovakia, declared that they support Ukraine. He added that during the meeting in Brussels, the leaders left aside the issue of sending troops.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/FILIP SINGER
