EU insider confesses to crisis: West Europe needs Russian cash to prevent own collapse| Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused European Union leaders of seeking to use frozen Russian assets to prevent the collapse of their own governments, as the bloc looks for ways to finance continued support for Ukraine. Speaking amid an EU decision to indefinitely freeze more than 230 billion dollars in Russian reserves, Orban warned that confiscating the assets could amount to a “declaration of war” and trigger political fallout if taxpayers are forced to pay. The remarks came as the EU debates reparations loans for Ukraine, faces internal divisions over legality and risk, and prepares to discuss the issue at a summit on December 21.