MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Attempts by the European Union authorities to appropriate Russian assets can be described not merely as theft, but as outright robbery, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference headlined "Results of the Year".

He noted that if Russian assets are seized, Russia will defend its interests in court and seek to identify jurisdictions that are not dependent on political decisions.

TASS has compiled the key statements made by the head of state.

Consequences

Attempts to confiscate Russian assets in Europe amount not to theft but to outright robbery. "Theft is not an appropriate term. Theft is the covert taking of property. What they are trying to do here is out in the open — this is robbery," Putin said.

European countries have been unable to carry out this robbery because the consequences could prove severe for the would-be perpetrators themselves. "They have not declared that they will simply rob and take the assets. One of the ideas is to issue loans secured by our assets. But what does issuing a loan mean? It has consequences for the budget of each country — it increases the public debt of every country," Putin added.

Even if loans are issued against collateral in the form of gold and foreign exchange reserves, such actions must still be reflected in the budget of the country taking them. "Then you have to carry these additional obligations on your budget. As far as I understand, budgets there are already under considerable strain. That is precisely why making decisions related to steal someone else’s money is not so easy," he added.

Loss of trust

The confiscation of Russian assets in Europe would undermine trust in the eurozone and damage the region’s reputation. "Because, of course, many countries keep their gold and foreign exchange reserves in the eurozone — not only Russia, but also those that have surplus resources," Putin said.

First and foremost, this concerns oil-producing countries. "They will look at what is happening — in fact, they are already looking — and suspicions, doubts, and concerns are already emerging. What if this happens? You know, once you start… And then it can be done again and replicated under various pretexts," he added.

In the future, Europe could also attempt to seize the assets of Muslim countries because of their laws protecting traditional values. "Why not? They could always find another pretext," he stressed.

Russia’s response

If its assets are seized, Russia will defend itself in court, Putin said, noting, "We will try to find a jurisdiction that is independent of political decisions."

Europe will sooner or later have to return whatever it takes from Russian assets. "Whatever they steal, and however they do it, they will eventually have to give it back," he said.