KI logo
News Feed

French National Assembly backs resolution on seizing Russian assets

• 2 min read
Avatar
by Tim Zadorozhnyy
French National Assembly backs resolution on seizing Russian assets
Members of Parliament vote in the National Assembly, French Parliament lower house, after a debate on a motion for a resolution on support for Ukraine, in Paris on March 12, 2025. (JULIEN DE ROSA / Getty Images)

France's National Assembly, the lower chamber of the country's parliament, passed a resolution calling for increased support for Ukraine and the seizure of frozen Russian assets, Le Figaro reported on March 13.

The resolution, whose significance is largely symbolic, urges the European Union, NATO, and allied nations to boost political, economic, and military aid for Ukraine.

It also calls for the EU to move forward with seizing Russia's frozen assets — valued at approximately $300 billion, two-thirds of which are held in Europe — to finance Ukraine's military needs and post-war reconstruction.

Kyiv has only received loans covered by interest earned from the frozen assets.

Despite fierce debate, the resolution passed with 288 votes in its favor. Fifty-four lawmakers from the left-wing France Unbowed and the Communist Party opposed it, while the far-right National Rally abstained.

French lawmakers also amended the resolution to push for "an independent European defense" and to explore the possibility of deploying a European peacekeeping force to Ukraine once hostilities end.

The proposal aligns with efforts by French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to advance a European-led initiative to support Ukraine, particularly amid uncertainty from Washington.

Macron has previously floated the idea of sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, a suggestion that sparked backlash from the Kremlin.

A recent Elabe Institute poll cited by BFM TV on March 4 found that roughly two-thirds of the French public favor maintaining or increasing aid to Ukraine, as well as deploying peacekeepers after a ceasefire.

France, one of Ukraine's most vocal backers, has taken a leading role alongside the U.K. in supporting Kyiv as U.S. President Donald Trump pressures European nations to increase their contributions.

Trump has repeatedly criticized former U.S. President Joe Biden's administration's level of aid to Ukraine, insisting that European allies should bear more of the burden.

read also

Russia presents US with demands for possible Ukraine peace deal, Reuters reports
According to the sources, Russian and U.S. officials discussed these demands during face-to-face and virtual conversations over the past three weeks.
The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy
WarUkraineRussiaEuropean UnionFranceEmmanuel MacronEuropean alliesEuropePeacekeepersRussian assets
Avatar
Tim Zadorozhnyy

Reporter

Tim Zadorozhnyy is the reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations and the European Studies program at Lazarski University, offered in partnership with Coventry University. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa in 2022. After relocating to Warsaw, he spent a year and a half with the Belarusian independent media outlet NEXTA, initially as a news anchor and later as managing editor. Tim is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

Read more

Most Popular

News Feed
Friday, January 2
 (Updated:  )Politics
President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered Kyrylo Budanov, the military intelligence chief, to take charge of the President’s Office on Jan. 2. "Now, Ukraine needs more focus on security issues, the development of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track in negotiations, and the President's Office will serve primarily to fulfill such tasks," Zelensky said. Budanov accepted the offer. Though not officially appointed yet, Zelensky has already tasked Budanov with updating and presenting strategic foundations for Ukraine's defense. The move follows a major reshuffle that saw the dismissal of Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s long-time chief of staff, in late November. The change occurred amid Ukraine's largest corruption scandal, signaling a shift in leadership dynamics. A source in the President's Office told the Kyiv Independent that the president's final choice would signal whether his focus lies on domestic affairs, diplomacy, or the battlefield. Lieutenant General Budanov, 39, has led Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) since 2020. Under his leadership, HUR has evolved into a formidable force during Russia's full-scale invasion. The spy chief has become a household name in Ukraine, while his agency is regarded as one of the most competent institutions in the country. It conducts intelligence operations within Russia and the Ukrainian territories Moscow holds, operates drone units responsible for hitting targets over 1,000 kilometers away, commands the International Legion and a number of other brigades fighting at the front. In recent months, Budanov also held talks with U.S. and Russian delegations in Abu Dhabi. A lawmaker from Zelensky's Servant of the People party, who spoke with the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity, believes that Budanov's appointment may signal that the widely discussed peace plan will not yield results given the Russian stance. "We need to prepare for a long, exhausting struggle. And this is exactly the approach that Budanov represents," the lawmaker said. Lawmakers and experts argue that it's not as important who becomes the new head of the President's Office, but its future influence. "(Budanov) will need to build his own system, his own vertical of power. I think it will be a different style of leadership for the office," the same source told the Kyiv Independent. "He's a spymaster, but he's not a master of political intrigue." Lawmakers from the president's party who spoke with the Kyiv Independent approved Zelensky's choice, yet questioning why Budanov agreed to take on this role. Although Budanov has never announced plans to pursue a political career, he is regularly featured in opinion polls and ranks among the top presidential contenders, behind only Zelensky and Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.K. Valerii Zaluzhny. According to a recent poll conducted by Socis, Budanov would secure 5.7% in the first round. In a hypothetical runoff between Zelensky and Budanov, the latter one would defeat Zelensky with 56% of the vote against 44%. Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker from the opposition European Solidarity party, sees Budanov's appointment either as an an attempt to remove a political rival or a move to shape him into a possible successor to Zelensky. "It all depends on how Budanov will position himself going forward — whether he will be willing, once he moves into the cabinet, to let go of his political ambitions," he told the Kyiv Independent. "Right now, serious changes and reforms are needed. If the president doesn't understand this, then Budanov's role will be reduced to becoming the second Yermak."

Ukraine denies targeting civilians in drone strike on occupied part of Kherson Oblast.

Earlier on Jan. 1, Volodymyr Saldo, a Ukrainian politician turned top Russian proxy head of Russian-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, accused Kyiv of launching three drones at a hotel and a cafe on the Black Sea coast. Saldo claimed that the alleged New Year drone strike on the village of Khorly killed 24 people, including a child, and wounded more than 50.

Friday, January 2
Ukraine enters EU's single mobile roaming zone.

Ukraine formally joined the European Union's single roaming zone on Jan. 1, allowing Ukrainian citizens to use their mobile phone service across the European bloc without incurring additional charges.

 (Updated:  )
5 things we lost in Pokrovsk

'All memories of my childhood in Pokrovsk seem like a dream, as if it never really happened.'

Show More

Editors' Picks