Central Bank to seek damages from European banks in Russian court for illegally freezing, using CBR assets

MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax) - The Central Bank of Russia plans to seek damages from European banks in Russian arbitration court for EU banks illegally freezing and using the CBR's assets in the amount equivalent to the illegally frozen assets and lost profits, the Central Bank said.

The CBR issued the statement in connection with the European Union authorities' ongoing attempts to seize and use illegally, without the CBR's consent, CBR assets held in EU financial institutions, including by imposing permanent immobilization of the assets.

The CBR noted that it had previously filed a lawsuit against Euroclear in the Moscow Arbitration Court.

Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever said on Thursday, that a compromise could not be reached on some points in using the immobilized Russian assets.

"I can certainly compromise, but not on a number of points that threaten financial security of Europe and Belgium. To be perfectly clear: this is impossible," de Wever told reporters.

Later on Thursday, the EU summit in Brussels would consider two options of funding Ukraine, either from the EU budget or with "the reparation loan" using the immobilized Russian assets.

The Euroclear financial depository in Brussels holds under its management the vast majority of 210 billion euros in immobilized Russian assets, which the European Commission wants to use to support Ukraine. Besides Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Bulgaria, Malta, and Czechia oppose this decision.