Moscow will respond if EU decides to confiscate Russia's frozen assets: Deputy FM

MOSCOW, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Thursday that Moscow would respond if the European Union (EU) decides to confiscate the country's frozen assets, TASS news agency reported citing the official.

Grushko said that Russia would take "all the necessary measures to protect its legitimate interests" if the EU decides to go through with the decision.

He called the actions of the EU "completely illegal," adding that many countries are uncertain whether such a move would be in line with international norms.

EU representatives met in Brussels on Wednesday, where they approved "the establishment of an ad hoc working party on the use of frozen and immobilized Russian assets to support Ukraine's reconstruction," the Swedish EU Council Presidency said in a Twitter post.

The Swiss Federal Council issued a statement on the same day, saying that "a working group led by the Federal Office of Justice concluded that the confiscation of private Russian assets would undermine the Federal Constitution and the prevailing legal order."