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Presidential envoy lashes out at US-led West’s ‘theft’ of Russia’s assets

After the start of Russia’s special military operation, the United States, Canada, the EU and the United Kingdom froze around $300 bln of Russia’s assets

MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. The US-led West’s seizure of Russia’s gold and foreign exchange holdings is a clear example of theft, Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergey Ivanov told TASS.

"The seizure of our gold and foreign exchange assets is a clear example. This is theft. How can we be urged to speak trustingly with the West after this? If your house was robbed and the thieves were caught, would you talk to them? It’s the same thing here both in everyday life and in big politics. You simply cannot do business [with the West], you must adapt to this thought and live life in a new way," Ivanov said.

After the start of Russia’s special military operation, the United States, Canada, the EU and the United Kingdom froze around $300 bln of Russia’s assets, that is, half of the country’s gold and forex reserves.

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