MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. Washington will lose much more than Moscow if Russia decides to give a tit-for-tar response to the seizure of Russian assets in the United States, Vyacheslav Nikonov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, told TASS on Thursday.
"For many years, the United States has prevented the acquisition of American property by Russian citizens and Russian investments in the United States. Therefore, historically, American assets on our territory many times exceed the volume of Russian assets on American territory," the deputy said.
According to him, "if such decisions (to seize Russian assets in the United States - TASS) are being made, there is a high probability that the Russian side will respond symmetrically."
"In this case, the losses of the American side will be much bigger," Nikonov said.
He assumed that if such a decision is made the received funds can be used "for the restoration of those former Ukrainian regions that are now being destroyed by the Ukrainian armed forces and nationalist armed gangs."
The lawmaker believes that in case assets related to Russia are seized in the United States, there will be no "mourning" in Russia.
"Yes, it is unpleasant to lose some assets of large corporations, but we are mainly talking about the confiscation of assets of oligarchs. I don’t really imagine how the United States can influence the course of the military operation and the sentiments of Russian society," the lawmaker added.
Nikonov also noted that in this case it concerns "extrajudicial confiscations."
US President Joe Biden, speaking about the situation around Ukraine, said that the US administration is sending Congress a comprehensive package of initiatives aimed at the seizure of assets of "Russian oligarchs." Prior to this, the House of Representatives of the US Congress approved the initiative to seize foreign assets that can be recognized as affiliated with Russia.