“From our perspective, it is important that any actions have sufficient legal underpinnings to avoid potential risks, and these include risks of litigation, risks of countermeasures, and risks to the international monetary system,” IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack told reporters.
IMF spokesperson emphasized that countries holding those assets should discuss this issue.
“The decision of what to do with frozen assets rests with the countries who are holding the assets,” Kozack said.
After the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Western and EU countries imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia, including the freezing of nearly half of the country's foreign currency reserves. Russia has maintained that any attempt to confiscate its frozen assets would violate international law. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier that the EU plans to seize Russian central bank assets were an "escalation of economic aggression" and warned that Moscow would respond in a harsh manner.