EU countries must agree on solidarity provisions - Belgian foreign minister on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot explained Belgium's position on the possible use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, stressing the need for shared risk-sharing that EU countries have not previously agreed to.
An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported that he made the comments at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, in Kyiv on Tuesday.
"As you know, the issue of Russian sovereign assets frozen at Euroclear is a delicate one. And I would like to take this opportunity to address the Ukrainian press to eliminate any risk of Belgium's position being misinterpreted," he said.
Prévot stressed that Belgium has been an ally of Ukraine since day one of the war and "will remain one until the last day." He urged that hesitation not be interpreted as "a refusal to help Ukraine, let alone a desire to provide any support to Russia."
"Some rumors have already started spreading, so it's best to put them to rest right away. With the help of numerous lawyers, we've identified serious risks, both legal and fiscal, that could potentially pose a systemic risk to European financial markets," the minister added.
He said this had led Belgium to voice its disagreement with the decision on the frozen Russian assets.
"... if all European countries and other states really do insist on carrying out confiscation without any legal mandate, then solidarity provisions absolutely must be agreed in advance. Otherwise, if in 10 or 15 years Belgium is ordered to return all the funds, it won't be able to take on responsibility alone for repaying more than 200 billion. For our budget, that's proportionally unthinkable. And that solidarity never materialized," Prévot explained.
The foreign minister said this was "probably because many other capitals also recognize these risks and didn't want to share them at the time."
Prévot said Belgium is convinced that strategic support for Ukraine is extremely important. He again welcomed the EU's decision on the 90 billion loan for 2026 and 2027.