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US financial system discredited by plans to give Russian assets to Ukraine — embassy

There is not only an obvious disregard of generally accepted legal norms, but also a breach of fundamental American values which erroneously seemed unshakable, the Russian Embassy in the United States said

WASHINGTON, January 20. /TASS/. Plans to hand over some of confiscated Russian assets to Ukraine are discrediting the US financial system, the Russian Embassy in the United States said in a statement on Friday.

"We noted new statements by US Administration on the intention to transfer a part of Russian entrepreneurs’ confiscated assets to Ukraine," Russian diplomats said. "There is not only an obvious disregard of generally accepted legal norms, but also a breach of fundamental American values which erroneously seemed unshakable. First of all those related to the protection of private property rights."

"Such dangerous precedents only serve to discredit the United States as a ‘bastion’ of free enterprise. Washington, with its own hands, is undermining confidence in both American and international financial system, as well as security of the dollar jurisdiction," reads the statement, posted on the embassy’s official Telegram channel.

The declared intentions of the US government de-facto confirm that the White House "does not hesitate to put pressure on local courts to serve its own narrow interests," in this case - "for the sake of the declared ‘fight against the Russian threat’ and support for the Kiev regime."

Director of the Task Force KleptoCapture of the Department of Justice Andrew Adams said on Thursday US authorities intended to begin the transfer of forfeited Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine in the near future.

In late 2022, US President Joe Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023, including an initiative empowering the Justice Department to direct forfeited funds to the State Department for the purpose of providing aid to Ukraine, the official noted.

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Foreign policy Ukraine United States

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