Brussels: The European Union is preparing to indefinitely freeze billions of euros worth of Russian state assets held within the bloc, a decision that removes a major political and legal obstacle to providing long-term financial assistance to Ukraine. The move is aimed at ensuring sustained support for Kyiv as it continues to face the economic and military fallout of Russia’s prolonged invasion.

According to EU officials, the plan would keep around €210 billion in Russian central bank reserves immobilized for an open-ended period. Most of these assets are held in Belgium-based financial institutions. Until now, the freeze required renewal every six months, a process that left the policy vulnerable to political resistance from individual member states and created uncertainty over future

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