Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot criticized the legal foundations developed by the European Commission for the reparations loan to Ukraine, which is based on frozen assets of the Russian Federation.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Belgium’s Position on Risks and Responsibilities
Before a meeting at NATO headquarters, approximately 20 minutes before the official presentation of the legal framework for the upcoming loan, Maxime Prévot publicly stated that the prepared document does not address key concerns from Brussels. He emphasized that Belgium finds it unacceptable to use frozen Russian funds without properly considering the risks for the country itself, as most of these assets are concentrated on its territory.
“The text that the European Commission will present today does not satisfactorily address our concerns. It is unacceptable to use the money and leave us alone with the risks. The proposed reparations loan is clearly not a desirable option,” said Maxime Prévot.
The minister stressed that even if EU member states support the idea of a reparations loan, Belgium demands full coverage of the risks it may face if this financial scheme is implemented. According to him, this is a matter of fairness, not an attempt to create tension among allies or with Ukraine. Belgium insists on mutual support and solidarity in addressing this issue.
Alternative Scenarios for Financing Ukraine
According to the Financial Times, the European Commission is currently working on alternative solutions that could provide temporary liquidity to support the loan amount of 140 billion euros. Additionally, it has recently become known that European countries are considering a so-called “Plan B,” which involves allocating an interim loan to Kyiv through European Union borrowings in case an agreement on the seizure of frozen Russian assets cannot be reached.