Germany is showing a willingness to discuss new ideas on how to deal with Russian assets frozen in the European Union, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said during a visit to

Copenhagen.

“Everything must be carefully examined,” Klingbeil noted before meeting with his EU counterparts on Friday. “Germany wants to play a constructive role — not one that blocks progress.”

The EU has been debating how to make better use of the assets, which were frozen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. So far, only the interest generated from those funds has been tapped, but pressure is building to go further — especially with questions about U.S. support for Kyiv under President Donald Trump.

Fully seizing the assets remains highly controversial, with legal barriers and strong opposition in parts of the bloc. Berlin has often voiced such concerns in the past.

Still, Klingbeil stressed that his government is committed to exploring ways to put the assets to more effective use, even if the legal path is complicated.

“There’s a real financial need. We want to meet our responsibility toward Ukraine,” he said. Photo by Kaffeeringe, Wikimedia commons.