Putin says dropped EU plan to use Russian frozen assets for Ukraine was robbery

MOSCOW, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, commenting on a European Union decision to set aside a plan to use frozen Russian assets as backing for a loan to Ukraine, called the attempted scheme "a robbery" and promised that Moscow would defend its interests in the courts.

Speaking at his end-of-year press conference, Putin said that the EU plan had failed because there would have been "grave consequences for the robbers".