The suggestion was made after Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK and its European allies should move from freezing Russian assets to seizing them, with the proceeds used to assist Ukraine with its war and reconstruction efforts.
“Whatever we do we have to be acting within the law, because that’s part of our argument with what Russia has done, is that it was a breach of international law and we take our obligations very seriously, and we want to make sure whatever we do, alongside our partners and allies, is legally sound.”.
Responding to the proposal at Westminster, Labour frontbencher Baroness Chapman of Darlington said it was “an interesting idea” and committed to take it back to her department for it to be explored by civil servants.
Using properties owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich to house Ukrainian refugees will be looked at by officials, a foreign office minister has said.
Labour former minister Lord Foulkes of Cumnock said he had written to the Chancellor calling for the £2.5 billion raised from the sale to be “unfrozen and sent to Ukraine where it is urgently needed”.
