Kiev’s Western backers froze about $300 billion in Russian central bank assets after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The majority of the funds are held at Belgium-based depository Euroclear. The EU has been debating using the funds as collateral for a so-called “reparations loan” for Kiev and last week approved legislation to replace the current freeze with a long-term measure that would keep the assets blocked indefinitely.

However, on Friday, EU leaders failed to approve the loan plan, opting instead to raise common debt to fund Kiev in the short term while agreeing to revisit the scheme once its “technical aspects” are resolved.

During an end-of-year live Q&A session and press conference on Friday, Putin reiterated that any use of Russia’s funds would amount to theft and warned of the consequences for the EU and the broader financial system.

“It would be robbery… Besides reputational losses, there could be direct losses affecting the foundations of the modern financial world order,” Putin stated.

“And most importantly: whatever they steal and however they do it, they will have to pay it back someday.”

Putin said that using Russian assets as collateral for a loan to Kiev would increase EU countries’ liabilities, adding pressure to budgets that are already strained, since any loan disbursement must be reflected in the issuing country’s budget.

“What does issuing a loan actually mean? It affects the budget of every country involved because it increases public debt, even when loans are backed by collateral,” he added, noting that France’s national debt, for instance, already stands at 120% of GDP, with a budget deficit of 6%, making any additional strain potentially damaging.

“That is why decisions involving the seizure of other people’s money are not simple,” Putin continued, warning of “even more serious consequences” for those who attempt it – “not just reputational damage, but a loss of trust, in this case in the Eurozone in general.”

Russia has long condemned the asset freeze and last week filed a lawsuit against Euroclear in Moscow over damages linked to its “inability to manage” the funds. On Thursday, the Bank of Russia said it would expand the case to include European banks holding the assets, citing continued EU attempts to seize them.

The first hearing in the Euroclear case is scheduled for January 16, with Russian media reporting the claims total nearly 18.2 trillion rubles, or about $230 billion. The EU has dismissed the lawsuit as “speculative,” but analysts warn it could harm the bloc’s financial institutions if it spreads beyond Russia. Kirill Dmitriev, presidential adviser on international investment, earlier said such developments could push investors to move funds away from the bloc.