America News Agency

Kallas’ warning about the narrowing path toward reaching an agreement on billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets coincided with European leaders gathering in Berlin to try to shape the contours of a potential peace deal in talks with representatives of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump.

EU leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, insist that using Russia’s frozen assets is the only reliable way for Europe to keep Ukraine financially afloat from next year onward.

However, as the Brussels summit approaches, concerns are growing that the initiative could be derailed due to opposition from EU countries under pressure from Russia and the United States.

While Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever spoke of threats from Russia should Brussels seize the assets — and as Moscow has taken steps to sue the Belgian bank holding most of the funds — two senior European officials involved in the loan effort said the United States is also pressuring EU countries to oppose the plan.

One senior European official said, “The Americans are not only demanding that Ukraine give up territories Russia failed to seize, but are also pressuring several European countries not to provide Ukraine with a €210 billion compensation loan.”

According to a leaked draft of a U.S.–Russia peace plan, Washington aims to channel part of the assets into U.S.-led reconstruction efforts, and the same European officials said the United States has not abandoned its fundamental opposition to Europe using the assets to aid Ukraine.

German Foreign Minister Merz has insisted that Russia’s assets should not be transferred for America’s economic benefit.

Speaking on her way to a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, Kallas said there is “significant pressure from all sides” regarding the war reparations loan, which she described as the “most reliable option” to keep Kyiv financially afloat from next year.