Judging Freedom - Dr. Gilbert Doctorow : Will the EU Steal Russian Bank Deposits?

Episode Date: December 17, 2025

Dr. Gilbert Doctorow : Will the EU Steal Russian Bank Deposits?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thank you. Hi, everyone, Judge Andrew Napolitano here for judging freedom. Today is Wednesday, December 17th, 2025. Dr. Gilbert Doctro joins us now. Boy, you're just the man to help us out through all the things going on in Europe. Some pretty close to where you are now, Gilbert. And thank you very much for your time. What do we know about Van der Leyen's efforts to declare an economic emergency

and the consequences of such a declaration. Well, she was successful last Friday in getting the member states to agree on, there we have an echo here. They were agreeing on her proposition of using the, let's say, the qualified, the qualified majority to pass the bill to pass a rule within the European Union preparing the way for the vote eventual vote on confiscation of the assets the preliminary step was

precisely to the preliminary vote was precisely to enable the continuation of the sanctions on the my goodness there is an echo on this you want to do you want to re log on i think so because we've got two when i'm interrupted by my own voice we'll stop and we'll start all over again so and then log on all right we'll do that okay these things happen uh sometimes with the internet i'm in new york uh Dr. Rose in Brussels, and sometimes these connections don't always blend the way we want them to. But essentially, he and I are going to be talking about the European efforts to continue the war in Ukraine. They're not able to impose taxes because that would be politically catastrophic.

They're not able to borrow money because no one will loan it to them. The only thing they can do, apparently, is to steal the money in the Belgian and other European banks and either give it to Ukraine or pledge it as collateral for a loan. Now, Gilbert Doctro is back with us. Is the sound better for you? There's no echo no. Okay, good, good. All right, you were telling us about von der Leyen's plan to declare an emergency,

extending the freeze of Russian state bank accounts in the EU and the likely, the mechanism to get there and the consequences of doing it. That first step was done successfully last Friday. So as of today, the loan, the frozen assets are not subject to a six-month review. That was a precondition for underlying going and looking for any bank loans

against these assets is collided. She got that, but it's understandable if she could have gotten that, even from among member states who don't like the overall deal, because she could argue that we need to do this in order to have leverage with Trump and to get a seat at the EU seat. She got that through. But that does not automatically suggest that she would win in a decisive discussion in the European Council, which take place tomorrow and on Friday.

It didn't look good, though, for those of us who wish that she would be stymied. It didn't look good, and one factor is what happened here in Berlin on Monday. It looked like Donald Trump simply collapsed. He had his emissaries. He had Kushner and Wittgoth attending Berlin discussions. which were led by merits, and which has the objective to get everybody lined up, all the ducks lined up, for the eventual passage of a peace treaty that suits the Ukrainians. And that, as we understood, that includes conditions, which are known to be utterly unacceptable

to the Russians, starting with the stationing of NATO troops on Ukrainian terrorists, with the raising of a military force to 800,000 properly trained by West European trainers. And they're essentially giving Ukraine-NATO quality status without having a diploma on the wall. This is where the whole war started. This is the exact situation pre-February 24th, 2022. And so it is understandable if the Russians will be just. the Russians will reject this. And that is exactly what obviously Merz and company sought to put the Russians in the position of being the wreckers of a peace. Well, the next day, Mr. Zelensky made a speech to

Hague to the European, to the Dutch legislators, in which he was completely optimistic. He's gotten everything he possibly want. And let's face it, Whitkoff and Cushchev, and Cushchev, and Cushchev, were photographed with the other members and looked perfectly content with what was going on. If they had any guts, if Mr. Trump had the guts to follow through on his words, they would have gotten up out of the seats and walked out of that meeting. They didn't. So Kushner and Whitcroft just sat there and compliantly either said nothing or not an approval to terms that were they sophisticated diplomats, they would know, were they intelligent people?

whether diplomats or not would know, are utterly unacceptable, so profoundly unacceptable that these two conditions are arguably the cause of the war. I wouldn't want to reduce them. I reluctantly am obliged to reduce Trump. They couldn't have stood sat there. They couldn't have come out of the meeting saying we're closer than ever to a peace treaty, which is what Donald himself said shortly thereafter. if they hadn't Trump's approval, which means that he backtracked.

Moreover, Bloomberg is reporting today that Trump is now threatening to impose sanctions on the Russian shadow fleet, with the intent, obviously, to do against that fleet what he's now trying to do against a sanctioned fleet in Venezuela. What does the sanctions on a Russian shadow fleet mean? He's not talking about seizing tankers like in Venezuela. Obviously he is. And if he tries that, then the U.S. Navy will sink the next day because we'll have two countries against him.

The Chinese are not the least bit happy with this embargo on the Venezuelan ships or ships carrying Venezuela oil. Because where are they going? They're going to China. And Venezuela is a very big supplier of oil to China today. Under these circumstances, Mr. Trump is risking a naval war with both China and Russia at the same time. This is perfectly insane. It's actually even worse than that because yesterday the United States Senate debated a crazy resolution offered by, you guessed it, Senator Lindsey Graham and others, to call to characterize. Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Senator Rand Paul fiercely opposed to all this, made many dramatic statements on the floor of the Senate. Here's one of them, Chris, cut number 11. The hardliners in Moscow already believe they're at war with the US and designating them as a state sponsor of terrorism will only throw further fuel on that fire. This misguided legislation would destroy any semblance of U.S. Russia bilateral relations, and it's not going to achieve its desired

intention. It's absurd to think that applying more economic pressure on Russia will get them to change their objectives. They've fought for four years. They've lost tens of thousands of soldiers. They've killed tens of thousands of soldiers. Some say up to a million casualties in this war. We already imposed 16,000 sanctions on them. Do we really think the six 16,001 is going to do the trick. We think, oh, we're going to call them a terrorist. What a terrible thing. They are going to lay down their arms and give back the land they have taken.

No, that's not what's going to happen. This will not work, but it might drive them away from the process of coming to a negotiated settlement. I think he's 100% correct. What do you think? 200%. The point is, he's put his finger on it. And let me take it a little further. I just want to remind everyone that I say what I see.

I don't see what I say. And when I see Donald doing something utterly insane, I have no hesitation insane. You know, you might be giving him more credit than his due. Do you really think that his son-in-law and his former business partner called him up and said, Mertz is going to say European troops should be in Ukraine

and Ukraine should give back the land. Do you want us to sit in our hands, Donald? I don't know. I mean, and I don't if I wonder how Mertz and the others view Whitkoff and Kushner. They're not diplomats. They don't understand

the history. Neither is a lawyer with a young man as a graduate of a law school but he never practiced. I don't get it. I don't get what message. Trump's trying to convey. Meanwhile, he's got the State Department worried about the size of the font that they use in their official papers.

Well, I don't think they were left to negotiate this. I don't think their qualities as diplomats were called upon. I think they were tasked as to be witnesses and to stay by the Europeans. Obviously, there's some big, very big commotion going on in Washington that has compelled.

held Trump to flip-flop completely. And the fact that he would come out of the meeting, that he would following that would say that we are closer than ever to peace when it's an absolute lie. We're farther away than we could possibly be. The second shoot-a-drop view, this has to be said.

When I say that Donald is not the hero that he was to me two days ago, I have to say that Mr. Putin is a tough spot because I'm sure the fur is flying right now in the Kremlin. Just remember, there's a big dispute between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Putin over whether Trump is a reliable path to peace. Well, who is on which side in that? Mr. Yapkov, the hardliner within the – within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was on television yesterday,

and he was not at all in a good mood. Mr. Udjavkov was against the notion that you can do a deal with Trump. He's the one who said, this goes back three weeks ago, and he was censored for it, he said that the diplomacy was over. Well, as of today, it is over. When Trump says that the Russians have to sign this agreement, which includes within it, conditions taking us back to just before the war started, then we know that the Russians are understanding that Trump is not their friend and cannot do business with him.

So Mr. Putin is in a tough spot right now. And there will be some big change in Russian policy. All right. Let's go back to Europe for just a minute to where we started, because I'm fascinated with them cooking the books, so to speak. Is there a general understanding that European countries cannot, raise taxes politically in order to generate funds for Ukraine, and no one will lend the money to generate funds for Ukraine. So the only thing they can realistically do and get away with politically is stealing the money in the bank accounts. Is that a general and a fair summary of where things stand in Europe today? Yes, it is. But what I'd like to add a dimension that I want to

bring to this is what is the probability that this Fondolian attempt to steal money will succeed? Frankly speaking, I have been watching this with considerable nervousness. After the meeting in Berlin on Monday, when the Americans collapsed and withdrew their objections to these unacceptable terms that the Europeans and the Ukrainians have put into their proposed peace plan that Mr. Trump wants to force down the throats of the Russian now, I wasn't very optimistic about what will happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. After all, on the Friday statement, that first step that I spoke about, Italy signed on. And within that statement was the notion of collateralizing the assets for the purpose of this, of this loan.

for repayment of the damage is done. Now, that didn't look too good. Today, I have read this morning's swar, the main French-speaking newspaper of Belgium, whose editorial position is not very favorable to what De Weaver is doing. And I found stunning information there, which I want to share with you.

The stunning information is that Mr. De Weaver on his veto to the, to the Fondolian plan, is now supported by every party in the Belgian House of Representatives, the lower house. Every party, right and left, north and south. That has never happened before. So the idea that Mr. DuVaver could buckle tomorrow. Just refresh the memory of our viewers as to who he is. He is the prime minister of this country. He is a leader of the separatist mind. let's call it nationalist, Flemish north of the country,

who was the Eminas Gris, the cardinal behind the throne for the last fit of Belgian governments for the last 15 years, who was uncomfortable with taking the position of prime minister because his whole political history was to break up the monarchy. Anyway, he finally found this situation

as a backseat driver untenable, and he took the front seat and drive, has been driving since January of this year. All right. So what does this mean as a practical matter that no matter what von der Leyen and her colleagues want the Belgian banks are not going to allow that money to be stolen? Yes and no. We will see.

The condition which the Belgians put is that we will not let this happen unless we receive a money back guarantee from every other. member state of the of the European Union who would be putting up money in proportion to their national GDP to cover the risks to Belgium if one reason or another the loan would not be repaid could not be repaid and the Russians won the Russians can win two ways one in the law courts and two when we feel about and they'll probably win in both they're probably Probably win in both, but I think the Chinese difficult to say which would come first if the Russians deal a death blow to Mr. Zelensky's armed forces and whoever succeeds him signs a capitulation, then the loan is not good because it will not be the funds will not be applicable against reparations. There will be no reparations. So that's one way, in fact. All right. Where is my friend Sergei Lavrov in the dispute between the hardliners and the foreign ministry and President Putin over whether or not Donald Trump is reliable and whether or not you can negotiate with him?

He went over to the hide lardons, and that's why he disappeared from public view. I misunderstood what you just said, Gilbert. He went, he joined the hardliners. And that is why he disappeared from public view for several days. and there were rumors that he hadn't fired. Those rumors were misplaced. He stayed on, but he obviously is backing the up co-off, his deputy. So Mr. Putin is in a tough spot right now. Meanwhile, the Russian military continues its meat grinder moving westward,

and there doesn't appear to be anything that's going to stop them, no matter what kind of an economic stunt von der Leyen pulls, agreed? Yes and no. Look, I've been preparing my volume two of the war diaries. I'm just on the final touches of that. It'll come out in January. And I was just rereading my diary entries for October 24. And I was saying that, yes, the Russians are closing in on Pakrovsk, and it's going to fall in a few days. Well, it did fall one year later. All of these estimates on the timing of Russian victories have been wrong, dead wrong.

And to think that Mr. Putin, at the present meat grinder pace, is going to finish up this war in the next few months, I consider to be a fallacy. I've said for some time the war will probably end by the political collapse of Ukraine. If the money isn't there for February 26, Mr. Zelensky and his government will collapse without the Russians reaching with never what will it take for Vladimir Putin to decide to lower the hammer and end the war in five days which we all know he can physically militarily do if there's the will for it encouragement from all of us well is is and I know you don't know the literal answer to this, but is Sergei Lavrov, who's the most highly respected foreign minister in the world,

whispering into Vladimir Putin's ears, let's get this over with. Well, yes, he probably is to the extent that he dare say that. But there are others. In the chattering classes, there are people who have been calling for a knockout blow, and they are raising their voices. It was Ms. Vladimir Soloviov, as one of the dean of Moscow journalists, president of the Journalist Association, has been saying for months that, let's face it, we are at war with the Ukrainians, forget about brotherliness. They're doing anything they can to us, and we must do the same to them. And we have to deliver a knockout blow. All right, he's been saying it, and saying it and saying it. Just as his people have been saying for six months,

at least that are the neoliberal head of the bank of Russian. Now, Buelena is a disaster and is the one responsible for our zero growth this year, as opposed to 4% projected, and she has to be gotten rid of. That hasn't happened. But I think Mr. Putin is going to make a radical change in policy to accommodate the facts. The facts are that he's got to finish this war, damn facts. What happens if the United States interferes with the movement of a Russian oil tanker?

They don't dare. These are loud words from Trump. In the past, after loud words, he always backed away. He never did bomb North Korea, did it? After bringing in the gunboat diplomacy, it all faded, fizzled. I don't believe he will dare. dare try to board Russian tankers because it is within the capability of the Russians to sink the whole US fleet. They've got the missiles for it. The same thing for the Chinese, this nonsense

of restraining them to the waterways before the first islands. This is the Hegset's policy, the Neocon policy. This is utterly unenforceable. The whole Navy will sink. Wow. What do you think, Will, I know this is not your field, but you are very astute in foreign affairs. What do you think is going to happen in Venezuela? Trump last night announced that he's imposing a naval blockade and he's addressing the nation tonight. Now, the last time he addressed the nation, it was nonsense, but maybe this is something serious. Who knows? Well, the Chinese are going to intervene because his what looks like an actually.

against Venezuela is actually an action against China. They are heavily dependent on the Venezuelan oil. So then I can stand by and watch this happen. Just as they didn't stand by and watch the events in the Middle East, which threatened their supply of oil from there. They'll interview, whether they bring one of their many new aircraft carriers to the Caribbean or not, they're going to do something. Wow.

Well, Trump may be playing with fire. with fire. I hope he knows it. He has a secretary of state and a secretary of defense who do whatever he wants. It doesn't appear there's any pushback or serious dialogue whatsoever. And of course, he himself is of a mind where you just pointed this out, Gilbert. He goes from one extreme to the other at the drop of a hat. Well, I wouldn't say drop of a hat. I'm sure he was under immense pressure from the Europeans, and more important, from the friends of the Europeans in the States. So I think it wasn't a drop of the hat, and I think that he went through a lot of anguish over this, but he came up with the wrong decision, dead wrong decision.

Gilbert, Dr. O, thank you, my dear friend. We have a short week next week because of Christmas. I hope that you can spend some time with us right before Christmas, because you bring a fascinating perspective and you bring eyes and ears that are very much appreciated. All the best to you, my friend. Thank you so much. Sure. Coming up later today, we have a fascinating day for you. Attend this morning on Venezuela, Max Blumenthal, at 11 this morning, a one-hour special here on judging freedom with the, there he is, the most famous media personality in the Western world. my former colleague and friend Tucker Carlson.

At one o'clock, Colonel Douglas McGregor, at three o'clock, Phil Giraldi. Judge the Palatana for judging freedom. Thank you. Thank you.