Germany opposes the transfer of Russian assets to Ukraine due to fears of new WWII lawsuits.

Demands for reparations stemming from WWII crimes have dogged Germany for decades. Calls for further reparations are appearing even now. In 2019, Greece demanded more than $300B in compensation, while Poland demanded $1.3T in 2022.

In addition, Germany also proposes to use the frozen Russian assets as a lever of influence on Russia to force it to relinquish the occupied territories to Ukraine in the event of peace negotiations.

However, experts believe that Berlin’s motivation is to protect 272 German companies that are still operating in the Russian Federation, and that Germany’s concerns over setting a precedent for war reparations are unfounded.

At the same time, official representatives of the Russian Federation threaten severe responses, “an eye for an eye”, should the West confiscate Russian assets, noting that “the Russian Federation still has a lot of Western money that can become a target for Moscow’s countermeasures.”