February 13, 2023

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. government froze billions of dollars in Russian Central Bank assets held in the United States. What can be done with these assets? Can they be permanently seized and used to help Ukraine? On this week’s episode, Stroock Partner Tom Firestone talks to Ingrid Wuerth Brunk, Helen Strong Curry Chair in International Law at Vanderbilt Law School. Ingrid is a distinguished scholar of international law and has written extensively on foreign sovereign immunity, transnational litigation, sanctions and other issues related to international law.

Tom and Ingrid discuss these and other questions:

• Can the U.S. government seize the Russian Central Bank assets?
• Are these assets protected by sovereign immunity?
• If the U.S. government seizes these assets, can they be used to help Ukraine?
• Should Russia be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism?
• Would designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism deprive it of sovereign immunity?

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