Europe rejects US plan to unfreeze Russian assets for peace talks

European officials rejected a US proposal to unfreeze Russian state assets to restart peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The plan was presented by US envoys Witkoff and Kushner during a meeting in Miami. The US suggested transferring the assets to a Washington-supervised financial vehicle, but European representatives refused, saying it would not happen. The proposal surprised Kyiv and European capitals, raising questions about US intentions regarding pressure on Moscow. Western allies froze about 260 billion euros of Russian assets in 2022. Ukraine has received a 45 billion euro G7 loan backed by interest from these funds, while European leaders oppose using the underlying assets due to legal concerns.