US intention to hand over seized Russian assets to Ukraine is theft — Russian MFA

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has slammed the intention of US authorities to start transferring part of Russia’s seized assets to Ukraine as theft.

"There have been quite a few such ideas. It's theft. A country that has tried to position itself as a champion of the rule of law is now indulging in self-denial," Ryabkov told reporters on Monday while answering a question from TASS.

"The people who declare such ideas have gone too far in their geopolitical games. They begin to cause damage to themselves," Ryabkov concluded.

Earlier, the head of the US Department of Justice task force commissioned to search for and arrest Russian assets subject to US restrictions, Andrew Adams, said that the Washington administration intended to begin transferring part of the seized funds in favor of Ukraine in the near future. The Russian embassy in Washington noted that such a measure would discredit the US financial system and the security of the dollar jurisdiction.