Milan, 19 Dec. (LaPresse) – Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his live televised end-of-year press conference, called the EU's idea of using Russian assets frozen in Europe ‘robbery’ and added that European leaders have failed to reach an agreement on the matter because they fear that ‘the consequences could be really harsh for the robbers’. ‘This would not only be a blow to the image, but also an erosion of confidence in the Eurozone because, obviously, many countries keep their gold and currency reserves in the Eurozone, not just Russia,’ he continued. ‘No matter what they steal, sooner or later they will have to return it, and more importantly, we will go to court to protect our interests. We will do everything possible to find a jurisdiction that is independent of the political context,’ Putin warned.