Von der Leyen and Merz failed to convince Belgium to use Russian assets

The meeting of the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever on the EC's proposal to use frozen Russian assets to provide Ukraine with finances did not bring any success. Von der Leyen announced this on December 5.

It is specified that discussions were held at the meeting regarding the current geopolitical situation.

"We agreed that time is crucial, given the current geopolitical situation. We have noted that financial support for Ukraine is crucial for European security. We had a very constructive exchange of views on this issue," she wrote on the social network X (ex. Twitter).

The head of the EC added that Belgium's unique position in the handling of frozen Russian assets is obvious and requires a solution that ensures an equal distribution of risks among all European countries. The discussion will continue on December 18.

Go all in: how the ECB disposed of Russian assets

The European Central Bank refused to lend to Ukraine secured by Russian assets

Bloomberg reported on December 4 that the Belgian authorities rejected a new legal proposal from the European Union (EU) to use frozen Russian assets to secure a loan to Ukraine. It was clarified that Brussels fears legal consequences for the country, as most of the funds are deposited in the Euroclear depository, which is based in the capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 27 that the confiscation of Russian assets located in the European Union would have negative consequences. In particular, the Russian government, on behalf of the head of state, is developing a package of retaliatory measures.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.