Belgium confident EU will not propose using Russian assets for Ukraine
BRUSSELS (ANTARA) — Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Wednesday (21 October) that he was confident the European Commission would not propose using Russian assets frozen in Belgium to fund Ukraine.
Speaking before the Federal Advisory Committee on European Affairs, De Wever said the issue had been discussed at last week’s European Union summit, the Belga news agency reported.
According to De Wever, the Commission had assured member-state leaders that it would not reopen debate over Russian assets held by Euroclear, a Brussels-based financial institution.
“I am confident the European Commission will not put forward a proposal to meet Ukraine’s funding needs through a new operation involving Russian assets. I am confident because that is what we were told,” he said.
Last year, De Wever strongly opposed proposals to use around €185 billion (approximately Rp3,744 quadrillion) in Russian assets frozen at Euroclear to support Ukraine.
Instead, EU leaders agreed to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion loan for 2026 and 2027. However, the funding is expected to fall short of Kyiv’s needs.
At last week’s summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested an additional €70 billion (Rp1,412 quadrillion) in support for next year.
De Wever did not rule out the possibility that other EU member states could again raise the issue of using the frozen Russian assets.
He criticised Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten for publicly supporting the confiscation of the funds.
“Not everyone was involved in last year’s debate. New leaders have now emerged who are developing arguments that I had managed to put to rest from the beginning of last year,” De Wever said.
The Belgian prime minister also warned that public statements in support of seizing Russian assets could themselves have legal consequences.
De Wever said the warning had influenced other leaders during the summit. He added that there was now no “great enthusiasm” among EU leaders for pursuing the proposal.