MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the EU is "not succeeding in carrying out" the expropriation of the frozen Russian assets.

Commenting on discussions about expropriation of Russian frozen assets in the EU at an annual news conference in Moscow, Putin said this effort is faltering due to the severe consequences the perpetrators themselves would face, arguing that "theft" is an unsuitable definition for what the EU is trying to do.

"Theft is a secret appropriation, while they are trying to do it openly. It's robbery," he stated.

Putin warned that such actions are fraught with "the dire consequences for the robbers," adding, "It's not only a blow to the image, it is also undermining global trust."

One only needs to take the first step, and it can then be extended to other states under various pretexts, he said.

As an example, he cited the legal frameworks in some Muslim countries, where stringent laws are enacted to protect traditional values, noting that the EU may have some issues with them.

"You just have to start doing it, and then you can do it under various pretexts. For example, someone might not like the laws in some Muslim countries, which have strict laws to protect their traditional values," he noted.

Russia, for its part, will continue to defend its interests primarily in the courts and will find a jurisdiction that will be independent, he said.