"Doors are closed." Belgium urged to abandon the idea of transferring frozen Russian assets to Ukraine
The Belgian government remains firmly opposed to using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. The country's Minister of Defense, Theo Francken, stated that the transfer of these funds to Ukraine is not a subject for discussion for Belgium, writes "European Truth."
Belgian government building
"This issue is not up for discussion, the doors are closed. Our Prime Minister will stand his ground," Francken said.
According to him, Belgium's position is causing discontent in other countries, especially in the Baltic states, which continue to insist on using Russian assets.
Francken urged Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to approach this issue more cautiously and not to raise it constantly, as this, in his opinion, creates additional pressure on Belgium. At the same time, he emphasized that Belgium provides significant support to the Baltic countries.
Earlier, it became known that Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, and Poland called on the European Commission to resume work on a mechanism for using frozen Russian sovereign assets to finance Ukraine.
Belgium, however, demands guarantees that it will not be left alone with possible financial consequences if Russia successfully challenges such a decision in court.
The Ukrainian side, in turn, believes that it is now necessary to actively return to discussing how frozen Russian assets can be used for the benefit of Ukraine.