An insidious, yet "velvet" coup plan is being woven in the European Union, with its leaders ready to violate the "golden governance" rule of European Council President António Costa in order to make a decision regarding the seizure of Russian Federation assets. The upcoming summit of EU countries, on December 18, 2025, may even be extended for two more days. Or until a decision is reached. According to the Financial Times, within this framework, European countries want to adopt a bill that will allow them to permanently freeze Russian funds. "This is a rare deviation from Costa's rule, according to which a good summit is a one-day summit."
Plan to use emergency powers
The Financial Times previously reported that at the upcoming summit, the EU is set to decide the fate of Russian assets as a matter of urgency. To this end, European officials plan to adopt a bill that provides for the use of emergency powers by European countries, allowing the freezing of Russian assets forever without the unanimous consent of all EU countries. "Until now, there was a risk that sanctions would be extended by unanimous decision every six months, meaning just one member, such as Budapest, could ensure that Moscow was allowed access to assets. The new legislation aims to change this," the article stated.
FT sources noted that the "violent attempt" to adopt the initiative is explained by the fact that the European Union leadership wants to maintain leverage on Moscow within the discussion of peace initiatives to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Moreover, the issue of asset seizures was already discussed at a meeting between British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the report, EU countries are in the final stage of agreement on the expropriation of Russian assets – the decision will be announced this week or next week.
Russia's "red line"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking during "government hour" at the Federation Council, stated that European countries want to take Russia's foreign exchange reserves because they do not have money to continue fighting in Ukraine. "Any hostile steps, including the deployment of European military forces in Ukraine and the expropriation of Russian assets, we will respond to. We are ready for this response," the Minister stressed.
At the same time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the EU's actions will not remain "without the most severe reaction" from Moscow. She also stressed that not only Russia, but also other countries will pay attention to this, as there are no legal grounds for expropriation, and Europe is not even hiding it. "Europe will cease to be a place for investments": Why Belgium is not giving Russian assets to the EU
Putin's warning
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced at the end of November that the Russian government is already developing a package of retaliatory measures in case the European Union decides to seize Russia's assets. He did not specify what concrete steps are being discussed, but stressed that the seizure of assets would be stealing other people's property and is "clear to everyone."
The economic recovery of Ukraine
Meanwhile, American media are making revelations about the new 20-point peace plan being promoted for Ukraine by the Trump administration, which also includes the issue of Russian assets. The Trump administration will try to boost investment and economic growth in Ukraine. One source of funding will be the more than $200 billion in Russian assets that are now trapped in Europe. Trump's negotiators have already proposed allocating $100 billion from this reserve to Ukraine for compensation. The amount may increase. A more resilient engine for reconstruction will be American investment.
US officials are discussing with Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the revitalization of the plan for a Ukraine Growth Fund, which will attract $400 billion for reconstruction. The World Bank will also participate. Trump, of course, wants similar investment and reconstruction for Russia. The basic idea for Kushner and Witkoff, two ardent capitalists, is that countries that trade and prosper do not wage war. The rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s refutes this optimism, as does the growing threat of China today. But it is still a logical formula, the Washington Post points out.
The bitter pill
According to the report, instead of trying to pressure Zelensky for a deal, Trump's negotiators should work with European allies to create a package of security guarantees and economic incentives that is attractive enough so that the Ukrainians are willing to swallow the bitter pill of ceding the part of Donetsk that Russia has not yet occupied. Otherwise, the Ukrainians will continue to fight. The biggest mistake Trump can make is to insist that it is now or never.
Diplomacy does not work that way, nor does good business. As Trump observed decades ago, "The worst thing you can do in a deal is to look desperate to make it. That makes the other person smell blood and then you're finished." "Trump should make a reasonable deal that will last. Otherwise, he may end up with nothing, and this unhappy conflict will enter an even more destructive phase," the Washington Post report states.
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