US proposes unfreezing Russian assets to restart Ukraine talks

The Trump administration proposed unfreezing some Russian state assets to restart stalled Ukraine peace talks, but European countries rejected the White House initiative, according to the Financial Times. The plan, presented by envoy Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner at a Miami meeting, involved transferring assets to a US-controlled financial structure. European and Ukrainian officials opposed the move, fearing Washington sought to pressure Russia. Around 260 billion euros in Russian state assets were frozen in 2022, mostly in the EU. Europe uses the interest income for Kyiv's support, and any unfreezing requires unanimous EU member consent.