Austria will support using Russian assets to assist Ukraine if a joint decision is reached.

Austria’s new Finance Minister, Markus Marterbauer, backs the idea of utilizing the Russian Central Bank’s frozen assets to aid Ukraine.

“If there is a joint decision, Austria will participate, but we will not take the lead,” he stated.

The Austrian minister’s comments followed a meeting of EU finance ministers in Warsaw, where options were discussed for accelerating the bloc’s rearmament in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At this meeting, Spain suggested using Russian assets to bolster Europe’s defense capabilities and support Ukraine.

Meanwhile, British security analyst John Foreman maintains that the EU cannot replace NATO concerning collective defense and that such a replacement is unnecessary, as each organization has its distinct role. He believes that the US does not intend to abandon NATO but rather wants to compel Europeans to contribute more to their own security; thus, the framework for European security is NATO, not the EU. Foreman asserts there is no potential for establishing a common defense force within Europe.