Bangladesh, Feb. 26 -- The European Union is grappling with internal divisions regarding the fate of approximately €200 billion ($209 billion) in frozen Russian sovereign assets, with member states split between using the funds to support Ukraine and holding them as leverage in future negotiations with Moscow. The debate underscores the broader geopolitical and legal complexities that have emerged since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

According to a report by Politico on February 25, the frozen assets-primarily held by Euroclear, a Brussels-based financial clearinghouse-became a focal point after Brussels was excluded from recent US-Russia discussions in Saudi Arabia. Frustration over this exclusion has led some EU ...