Official: Russia to seize US property in response to Western aggression

Director of the Economic Cooperation Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Birichevsky has said that currently, the mechanism for seizing US assets located in Russia has not been applied in practice.

Birichevsky noted that however, if US authorities confiscate Russian assets, Moscow will respond in kind. Any anti-Russian actions, such as attempts to seize assets, will not go unanswered, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

"The consequences of 'experiments' with sovereign foreign property will be significant for the West. We will act entirely in accordance with the principle of reciprocity," he emphasised.

Birichevsky noted that, from a formal standpoint, Russian sovereign assets in the US have not been seized but are instead blocked. Moscow maintains nominal ownership of these assets.

"Based on this, we are shaping our counter-sanction strategy," he added. 

In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree granting Russian courts the authority to use US property to compensate for damages resulting from the confiscation of Russian assets. This involves a full transfer of rights to Russian claimants. The State Duma described the decree as a "natural response" to Western aggression. Previously, US President Joe Biden signed a law permitting the seizure of Russian assets for the purpose of aiding Ukraine, though the US has not yet attempted to confiscate any assets. It has also been revealed how much revenue from Russian assets has been allocated for military aid to Kyiv.