(Bloomberg) -- Finding a legal basis to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine will be difficult, Italian Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting of economy chiefs in Brazil.

The Group of Seven countries are looking at a “hard and complicated technical” path ahead to find “a solid legal base to use seized Russian assets to compensate Ukraine,” Giorgetti told reporters on Thursday in Sao Paulo.

The European Union, the G-7 and Australia have frozen about €260 billion ($280 billion) in the form of securities and cash, more than two-thirds of it in the EU. They all accept that those funds should remain off-limits from Russia unless it agrees to help with Ukraine’s reconstruction. 

There’s still a debate over exactly how to deploy the cash, amid concerns over legal and financial risks. The issue is under discussion at the G-20 and was examined Wednesday in a separate G-7 meeting presided by Giorgetti, as his country currently holds that group’s rotating presidency.

Speaking later in the day, Italian central bank chief Fabio Panetta highlighted the challenge of accessing frozen Russian assets. 

“This is something that has never been done,” he told reporters. “It will take some creative finance.”

(Updates with central bank chief starting in penultimate paragraph)

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