The seizure of the property of Russian citizens by the United States is illegal, Moscow perceives it absolutely negatively, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
During a visit to Kiev on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced additional assistance to Ukraine totaling more than $1 billion, including $5.4 million in seized Russian assets set to be used to support veteran reintegration and rehabilitation.
"In any case, we perceived it absolutely negatively because we consider all cases related to the blocking and arrest or other withholding of any funds related to state property, private property, mixed types of property of Russia abroad, to be illegal acts," Peskov told reporters, adding that statements about the alleged legal circumstances of this seizure are "lawless and look like legal nonsense."
Not a single case of illegal seizure will be ignored, the official said, adding that it is necessary to analyze and understand each case, but all this will become the consequences of quite serious legal proceedings.
"There is also a blatant fact that now both we, as the Russian state, and our entrepreneurs, are very often infringed on the rights to defend our interests in judicial instances abroad. This is difficult to comprehend, this, of course, contradicts everything in general that can be imagined both from the point of view of international law and national law," he added.
On Recent US Foreign Policy Activities
The decision of the United States' administration to deliver depleted uranium shells to Ukraine will lead to negative consequences, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
"Of course, this responsibility will entirely lie with the leadership of the United States, which made such a decision. Everyone should be aware of this," Peskov told reporters, adding that the use of such shells is related to "very sad consequences."
Dmitry Peskov added that the Armenian-US joint military exercises do not contribute to the stabilization of the situation in the region and the srtengthening of mutual trust.
On Wednesday, the Armenian Defense Ministry said that the country will hold joint drills with the United States in September. Earlier on Thursday, Yerevan said that Baku concentrates Azerbaijani troops on the border with Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh.
"In this situation, of course, holding such exercises does not contribute to stabilizing the situation. This is the first. In any case, it does not contribute to strengthening, let's say, the atmosphere of mutual trust in the region. Russia continues to fulfill its functions as a guarantor of security, Russia continues ... scrupulous and consistent constructive work with both Yerevan and Baku," Peskov said.
On Relations with North Korea
Russia values relations with North Korea and plans to develop them without paying attention to opinions of other countries, Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
The spokesman was asked about US statements about Moscow-Pyongyang cooperation and if North Korean leader Kim Jong-un plans to visit Russia soon.
"We have nothing to say on this issue, just as before there was nothing to say, and now there is nothing to say. We have our own relations with Pyongyang. We value these relations — this is our neighbor. And we, of course, will continue to develop relations with them without regard to the opinions of other countries," Peskov told reporters.