[…]
In a move co-ordinated with France, Germany and the United States, Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was willing to unlock up to £25 billion of Russian money held in the UK for the war effort.
The decision, after months of talks among the G7 and other western allies, may release as much as £250 billion to Ukraine in tranches to fund weapons purchases and prop up its war economy.
In a joint statement with President Macron of France and Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, Starmer said that the three leaders had agreed to “increase pressure” on Putin to counter his “stalling tactics and abhorrent attacks in response to peace talks”.
They said: “To that end, we are ready to progress towards using, in a co-ordinated way, the value of the immobilised Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine’s armed forces and thus bring Russia to the negotiation table. We aim to do this in close co-operation with the United States of America.”
Starmer is also understood to have discussed the plan with President Zelensky of Ukraine. Downing Street said that the UK, France and Germany were “united in wanting to drive progress towards using the full value of the immobilised Russian sovereign assets to end the war”.
[…]
That’s a pretty broad brush. Aren’t those directly responsible for supporting and financing him already deported and barred from entering?
Punishing family members simply for being family members would be a human rights violation.
I agree that ‘guilt by association’ is a grave human rights violation that is unacceptable.
The EU (or the West in general?) is only slowly stepping up against Russia-linked individuals that are legally and ethically justifiable. A few weeks ago, for example, the EU refused to lift sanctions from Russian defense exec’s daughter, citing her appearance in the prestigious Pirelli calendar with actresses Nicole Kidman and Uma Thurman as evidence that she’s benefited from her stepdad’s assets.
Russian propagandists also vacation in Europe despite demonizing the West on air. These people should not be allowed to enter the EU and Western Europe. I also support the EU’s recent move to limit Russian diplomats’ movement within the Schengen aera.
I fully reject ‘deportations’ or anything that goes against the rule of law, of course, but there is room for a tougher stance against those who benefit from the Russian autocracy but enjoy Western lifestyle.
Such appropriate measures would also weaken Putin’s position within Russia imo. If his closest supporters can’t live in the EU or other democratic countries of Western culture, if they can’t sent their children to Western schools and universities, they more likely rethink their stance toward an authoritarian Kremlin. And it may also strengthen democratic forces within Russia that are now suppressed.