Don’t want to pay reparations.
The German government fears that seizing rather than freezing these funds could set a precedent and provoke new lawsuits against Berlin for World War II crimes, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.
In addition, the German authorities believe that the frozen assets of the Russian Federation should be left untouched in order to use them as leverage in negotiations to end the war and induce the Russian Federation to cede part of the Ukrainian territory it has occupied.
Berlin also protects German companies still operating in Russia from retaliatory measures.
