Vladimir Putin warned EU leaders of “grave consequences” if Russia had been robbed of its frozen assets.
On Friday (19 December), EU leaders struck a deal to give Ukraine a €90bn (£79bn) loan. The agreement was reached as an alternative to using €200bn (£185bn) of frozen Moscow funds.
Speaking at his annual televised new conference hours after the announcement, Mr Putin said: “It's daylight robbery. Why can't this robbery be carried out? Because the consequences could be truly harsh for the robbers.”
He said that the failure to use the assets will “subvert all confidence” in Europe’s image globally.