Prime Minister De Wever "certain" that European Commission will not reopen debate on Russian assets

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever is confident that the European Commission will not reopen discussions on blocked Russian assets for financing Ukraine. He stated this during a session in the Chamber, emphasizing that no proposals will be made to alleviate Ukraine's financial needs using these assets. De Wever previously opposed tapping into approximately €185 billion in blocked Russian funds at Euroclear. Instead, a €90 billion loan was proposed, which he believes is insufficient. He noted that while he does not rule out other member states revisiting the issue, he criticized Dutch Minister Rob Jetten for suggesting to seize the funds. De Wever warned that such rhetoric could have legal implications and highlighted the lack of a qualified majority among member states to unblock the assets.