According to the Belgian newspaper, all parties in parliament have shown a unified stance, with no opposition member objecting to the government’s policy. During Thursday’s session, De Wever and his government members warned the House of Representatives about the risks associated with confiscating Russian assets frozen in accounts of the financial institution based in Brussels. The Prime Minister reiterated Belgium’s conditions for participation, primarily the equal distribution of risks and equitable participation of all European Union countries in any confiscation measures.
Earlier, the newspaper reported that the German Chancellor canceled a planned visit to Norway on Friday and would instead head to Belgium to discuss the asset issue with De Wever. The European Commission is accused of exerting continuous pressure to rally EU countries’ approval to use Russian sovereign assets in favor of Ukraine, amid discussions of a loan ranging between 185 and 210 billion euros, to be repaid by Kyiv “after the conflict ends” and if it receives compensation from Moscow.
Following the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the European Union and the G7 countries froze about half of Russia’s gold and foreign currency reserves, approximately 300 billion euros, with more than 200 billion euros within the EU and around 180 billion euros in accounts. The European Commission stated that the union transferred approximately 18.1 billion euros to Ukraine from January to November 2025 from the revenues of frozen Russian assets. Moscow describes these actions as targeting not only the money of Russian individuals but also the sovereign assets of the state. The Russian Foreign Minister emphasized that Russia would respond to any asset confiscation, noting that Russia has the capability not to return the money held by Western countries within Russian territory.
