Netherlands has frozen some €200M in Russian assets: Official

AMSTERDAM

The Netherlands has so far frozen Russian assets worth some €200 million ($221 million), according to the head of the country’s central bank.

The assets belong to Russian individuals and companies sanctioned by the EU, Klaas Knot said during an appearance on a news show on public broadcaster NOS.

He emphasized that the amount is much higher than the €6 million Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag reported to parliament earlier this week.

Knot said Belgium had frozen €10 billion in Russian assets but the Netherlands was unlikely to reach that figure.

“The comparison with Belgium is not entirely fair. Belgium plays a much larger role in international payment transactions,” he said.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk