Switzerland resists Ukrainian plan to seize frozen Russian assets

President says violating property rights would set dangerous precedent and needed legal justification

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Ukrainian plans to seize as much as $500bn (418bn) in frozen Russian assets to fund the country's recovery have met firm resistance from Switzerland, the hosts of an international two-day Ukraine recovery conference.

The Swiss president, Ignazio Cassis, pushed back on the plan, saying protection of property rights was fundamental in a liberal democracy. He underlined at a closing press conference the serious qualms of some leaders that proposals to confiscate Russian assets will set a dangerous precedent and needed specific legal justification.