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Ukraine sees growing appetite for talks on Russian frozen assets, senior official says

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The Straits Times. (2026, September 4). Ukraine sees growing appetite for talks on Russian frozen assets, senior official says. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/ukraine-sees-growing-appetite-for-talks-on-russian-frozen-assets-senior-official-says

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The Straits Times · collected 2026-09-04 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

Ukraine sees a growing interest among European allies to discuss using Russian frozen assets, which are currently worth around €210 billion, to help cover Ukraine's significant budget deficit of over $32 billion this year and $31 billion needed for defense spending in 2026. Ukrainian officials have been urging their partners to be creative and fast in addressing the deficit, but some countries, such as Belgium, have raised concerns about potential legal risks. The Ukrainian government is now talking with its European partners about changing the jurisdiction of the frozen assets to minimize these risks. Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said that a plan could shift the responsibility for court disputes from individual EU members to joint liability among all 27 members.
Written by AI on 2026-09-04, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Ukrainian officials are seeking access to €210 billion of Russian central bank assets that have been frozen in the EU since the start of the war. The funds, held at the Brussels-based depository Euroclear, could help cover €27 billion in additional defense spending needed for 2026 due to escalating tensions with Russia. Ukraine is facing a pressing budget deficit and has asked its allies to find creative solutions to cover it. Some European countries, including the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden**, have expressed interest in using the frozen assets or reopening discussions on their use. A senior Ukrainian official said there is growing appetite among European partners to revisit this issue and reach a decision. However, some allies want to keep the assets as a negotiating chip for future talks rather than accessing them now.

Written for “Ukraine Russia Asset Talks” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Ukraine Russia Asset Talks
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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
13
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
8%
1 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-04 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Topics

Belgium KYIV Russian Ukraine Ukrainian

Subjects

Russian NORP · 5× Ukraine GPE · 5× KYIV GPE · 4× Belgium GPE · 3× Ukrainian NORP · 3× European NORP · 2× Marchenko PERSON · 2× Reuters ORG · 2× Russia GPE · 2× Netherlands GPE · 1×

Narrative

The official said some allies wanted to keep assets as a negotiating chip for future talks, but Kyiv thinks this is unnecessary and wants access to the funds now. Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said that the Ukrainian government was talking to its partners about changing legal jurisdictions for some part of the frozen Russian assets. The bulk of the funds is held at the Brussels-based depository Euroclear.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-04
🔮 A similar amount would be required for 2027, Marchenko said, adding that the government was now holding talks with its key lender, the International Monetary Fund, on next year's budget plans.
2026-09-04 · The Straits Times
Ukraine sees growing appetite for talks on Russian frozen assets, senior official says · assertive framing

Claims (13 extracted, 1 hedged)

Ukraine sees growing appetite for talks on Russian frozen assets, senior official says KYIV, Sept 4 - asserted
official → see → assets
Ukraine sees a growing appetite among European allies to renew a serious discussion on the use of Russian frozen assets, a senior government official told Reuters, following an informal EU foreign ministers' meeting on Wednesday in which Kyiv took part. asserted
Kyiv → see → part
Ukraine faces a pressing budget deficit for this year and next and, as the war with Russia escalates, officials say Kyiv needs an additional €27 billion ($31 billion) for defence spending in 2026. asserted
Kyiv → face → 2026
Ukrainian politicians have asked allies to be creative and fast in covering it. asserted
politicians → ask → it
With some €210 billion of Russian central bank assets immobilised in the EU since the start of the war, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden have suggested reopening the debate on their possible use, which some allies have long opposed, citing legal issues. uncertain
allies → immobilise → issues
Ukraine sees growing readiness among European partners to resume serious discussion and to reach a decision after all, the Ukrainian official said, requesting anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue. asserted
official → see → issue
The official said some allies wanted to keep assets as a negotiating chip for future talks, but Kyiv thinks this is unnecessary and wants access to the funds now. Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said that the Ukrainian government was talking to its partners about changing legal jurisdictions for some part of the frozen Russian assets. The bulk of the funds is held at the Brussels-based depository Euroclear. asserted
bulk → say → depository
Belgium has resisted proposals to use the funds due to potential legal risks in the event of Russian retaliation or litigation. asserted
Belgium → resist → retaliation
"We want to discuss it. asserted
We → want → it
The plan creates new conditions where it is not the responsibility of Belgium to face court disputes with Russia, but the joint responsibility of the 27 (EU members)," Marchenko told Euronews. asserted
Marchenko → create → Euronews
Belgium said on Wednesday that its position remained unchanged. asserted
position → say → Wednesday
Ukraine's budget deficit is more than $32 billion this year and the government plans to cover it with funds from the EU and other partners. asserted
government → plan → EU
A similar amount would be required for 2027, Marchenko said, adding that the government was now holding talks with its key lender, the International Monetary Fund, on next year's budget plans. asserted
government → require → plans
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