Belgium opposes transfer of Russia’s frozen assets to Ukraine: "Not up for discussion"
The Belgian government is opposed to the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.
This was stated by Defence Minister Theo Franken, according to Censor.NET, which cites Euractiv/
Details
"This matter is not open to discussion; the door is closed. ... Our Prime Minister will stand his ground," he said.
This week, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands and Spain called on the European Commission to consider new ways of using around 200 billion euros of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.
Noting that Belgium’s position had caused discontent, he singled out the Baltic states – the most vocal advocates of the reparations loan – for their refusal to abandon the idea.
"They should also be more cautious, constantly coming back to this issue and cornering us. I don’t think that’s wise," added Franken.
He noted that Belgium provides significant support to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
What led up to it?
- A number of EU countries are calling on Brussels to revisit the issue of using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine. The debate has intensified against the backdrop of the need to secure further funding for Ukraine and the search within the EU for a mechanism that would allow Russian state funds to be utilised.
- Previously, the figure mentioned was approximately 200 billion euros in frozen Russian sovereign assets in Europe, the majority of which are held by the Belgian depository Euroclear.
- At the same time, the Kremlin threatened legal action should frozen Russian assets be used to fund Ukraine.
