Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized on Tuesday during his press conference in Algeria his European Union counterpart Josep Borrell's suggestion that the money from the seized Russian assets should be used to rebuild Ukraine.
In a statement for the Financial Times on Monday, Borrell said he would be "very much in favor" of seizing the Russian state's assets abroad. Lavrov commented on this proposition by saying that the seizure would constitute theft, "which they are not even trying to hide".
The Russian diplomat previously accused the West of "stealing" $300 billion to "punish" Russia for its military operation. He then added that if Russia continued the current standpoint on non-ruble trade for Russian gas with Europe, Western countries could use this opportunity to easily "pocket" the money as they please.