Brussels: Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever reiterated on Friday his firm rejection of the European Union's plan to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine, stressing that Belgium will not bear alone the risks of this plan or its potentially severe legal and financial consequences.
According to Kuwait News Agency, in an official letter sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, De Wever warned that the proposal pushes the European Union into "unchartered legal and financial waters," cautioning that Belgium would find itself "exposed to crippling legal and financial reprisals" from Moscow because it hosts Euroclear, the institution holding the bulk of the Russian assets.
De Wever added, "I will never commit Belgium to sustain on its own the risks and exposures," emphasizing that he will not give Belgium's approval to the European Commission's proposal regarding the use of Russian assets during the EU summit on December 18 unless member states provide "binding and signed guarantees" to fully share the responsibility.
The Belgian prime minister rejected assurances from EU officials claiming that the chances of successful legal challenges are low, saying: "Let me use the analogy of a plane crash: aircraft are the safest way of transportation and the chances of a crash are low, but in the event of a crash the consequences are disastrous." De Wever has repeatedly voiced his opposition to the Commission's plan to use Russian assets to finance Ukraine, stressing that Belgium will not be the party that "pays the price alone" for any potential fallout, and calling on the Commission and EU member states to provide clear guarantees before proceeding with the scheme.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha urged Kyiv's EU partners to approve a decision that would allow the use of frozen Russian assets to support 140 billion euros in loans for Ukraine.