Belgium wants collective decision of Western countries on confiscation of frozen Russian assets – Bloomberg
Belgian Ambassador to the United States Jean-Arthur Regibeau said that the West should make a collective decision to confiscate frozen Russian assets. Most of Russia’s assets are kept in the Brussels-based Euroclear settlement center.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Bloomberg.
"Someone has to pay for all the damage caused to Ukraine, and Russia is obviously responsible," Regibeau said.
At the same time, the diplomat noted that there is a risk of a split in the global financial system into two different sides. One will be the West and the other will be the rest.
"Will this have long-term consequences for the financial structure of the world? You can see arguments on both sides. It is an ongoing discussion," Regibeau added.
Belgium's opinion is important because two-thirds of the frozen assets are held in the Brussels-based Euroclear settlement center.
"We understand that we have a special responsibility," Regibeau said, adding, however, that Belgium "should not be the only one to deal with this issue."
Discussions in the EU are currently focused on the introduction of a tax on windfall profits derived from the frozen assets of the Russian central bank. But even this less significant step is moving slowly, as some EU member states and the European Central Bank are concerned about the potential impact of this move on the stability of the euro, Bloomberg adds.
