MOSCOW: Using Russian assets frozen in the EU for the Gaza Strip reconstruction project would allow EU politicians to save face, as these...
MOSCOW: Using Russian assets frozen in the EU for the Gaza Strip reconstruction project would allow EU politicians to save face, as these funds would not be officially returned to Russia but would be deployed in an international project recognized by most countries, head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) Alexander Shokhin said in an interview with TASS. He proposed this project last December, suggesting investing Russian assets frozen in the EU in Gaza’s development.
"I think that, step by step, this idea will probably be, if not supported, at least adapted by the Americans themselves. And it would likely be a good idea for us, too, to take a professional look at what joint projects might be underway there. And it would really be beneficial if the Russian portion of [funds invested in] these projects came from these frozen assets. Perhaps this is also a way for the Europeans to save face. On the one hand, they couldn’t use them to finance Ukraine, but they also didn’t return them to Russia, instead allocating them to an international project recognized by most countries," Shokhin said.
He noted that such a project could involve the participation of Russia, the United States, and the European Union.
"Why the European Union? Because most of the money is frozen there. And if [US President Donald] Trump were able to leverage our frozen assets under this idea and treat it as an investment in Gaza’s reconstruction, not as a contribution to some ‘Trump fund’, but rather as an investment capable of generating income on the invested capital, this would be the best way to utilize this money under a humanitarian pretext while maintaining a significant investment component," the official explained.
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