Russia warns the West that if its assets are compromised, it would respond severely

On Sunday, Russian officials sent a strong message to the West, threatening a “severe” response should Russian assets that have been frozen be taken. The spokesperson for the foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, declared that Russia would not give up territory it had taken from Ukraine in exchange for the restoration of its assets.

On Sunday, Russian officials promised “endless” legal challenges and tit-for-tat measures, threatening the West with a “severe” response should frozen Russian assets be confiscated.

Speaking separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that there was still a significant amount of Western currency in Russia that could be the target of Moscow’s countermeasures. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Russia would never cede territories taken from Ukraine in exchange for the return of frozen assets.