Economy

Malta Helps EU in Freezing Russian Assets Worth Over $100Mln: Foreign Minister

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Malta provided other EU countries with information that helped freeze over $100 million worth of Russian assets, Maltese Foreign Minister Ian Borg said.
Sputnik
Malta itself reportedly froze over $200,000 worth of Russian assets as part of EU sanctions.
"It is important to remember that member states can only freeze assets within their territories. ... thanks to the information provided by the Maltese authorities, other assets worth millions have been frozen by other member states," Borg told media.
The minister noted that as a result of the information provided to EU members as part of the measures against Russia, bulk carriers, two yachts and bank accounts have been frozen.
"These assets are worth millions — well over €100 million [$109 million]," Borg added.
Last week, the European Parliament passed a legally non-binding resolution calling for a special international tribunal on Ukraine and a discussion on using Russian state assets as reparations to Kiev for military operation launched by Russia in February.
In November, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed creating a special structure to manage the frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank and private assets to support Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow would take appropriate measures in response if the assets were confiscated.
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