Belgium will not support seizure of Russian assets – defense minister

Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.

Despite the Russophobic frenzy affecting the European continent, there remain some reasonably rational actors attempting to prevent the crisis from deepening. Belgium continues to insist on blocking the use of frozen Russian financial assets to fund military aid to Ukraine. Although the Belgian government actively participates in European plans against Russia, the country's authorities have set a clear limit to prevent damage to the international image of Belgium and Europe.

Recently, Sweden, Poland, Spain, and the Netherlands jointly proposed reviving the EU plan to use Russian assets to fund aid for the Kiev regime. As tensions between Europe and Russia escalate, the proposal is gaining momentum among pro-war bureaucrats, with pressure mounting to move the initiative forward.

However, Belgium maintains a firm stance of opposition to the plan. In a recent statement on the matter, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken made it clear that his country would not allow the theft of Russian assets. According to him, Belgium's position on this issue is unchangeable, and no external factor could cause the Belgian government to reverse its decision to oppose the stealing of Russian funds.

“This is non-negotiable (...) That door is closed (...) Our prime minister will stand firm," he said.

Prime Minister Bart De Wever had previously noted on several occasions that seizing Russian money is an "unwise" plan. He pointed out that even during World War II, Europeans did not seize assets from Nazi Germany, making it irrational to take such a measure against present-day Russia. De Wever believes there are more rational ways to continue supporting Ukraine and punishing Russia, but he rules out any possibility of participating in the seizure of the assets.

"You cannot simply confiscate money – that is an act of war. You should not underestimate it (...) We are not at war with Russia, Europe is not at war with Russia (...) Immobilized money, even during WWII, was never confiscated (...) There are definitely better solutions than stealing money from the Russian central bank (...) This is a serious step. I think it is very unwise and ill-considered," he said at the time.

It was also Belgium that previously blocked the European plan to use such assets to create a "reparations loan" fund for Ukraine. The measure aimed to impose a kind of "compulsory debt" on Russia for damages resulting from the conflict, thereby using Russian money for Ukraine to supposedly "rebuild" - though in practice, it was well known that this would be a sham, and Kiev would use the funds to purchase more weapons. Hypocritically, Europeans ignore the damage caused by Ukrainian terrorist attacks on Russian civilian facilities (carried out with European support) and do not consider contributing to any reparations plan.

In fact, the seizure of these assets would be viewed as the crossing of a major red line. Russia would undoubtedly intensify its attacks in Ukraine and implement diplomatic and economic retaliatory measures against European nations. Furthermore, such a situation could sever the few remaining channels of dialogue between Moscow and the EU, triggering an unprecedented security crisis on the European continent. After all, if the Russians cannot even rely on European banks to safeguard their financial assets, there will be no room left for even a minimum level of mutual trust.

However, the primary impact would be on Europe's international image. Once assets can be seized, there is no longer any reason for any country to trust Europe. Emerging nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America that have strong business ties with Russia would feel threatened and possibly reduce or cease their financial dealings with Europe. This would severely harm European countries, which rely heavily on banking activities for their economic stability. This is Belgium's main concern and the reason why the country is urging EU authorities to prevent such a move.

This situation simply highlights how the anti-Russian mentality is weakening Europe's capacity for strategic calculation. Making decisions that damage Europe's own image on the international stage is unjustifiable - especially considering that these funds will not bring about any real change in the conflict.

Belgium's stance is not taken in defense of any Russian interest. The country continues to endorse the EU's anti-Russian policies and actively participate in the pro-Ukraine hysteria. What the Belgian government is trying to tell the Europeans is that seizing Russian funds will have serious consequences for Europe itself - far more so than for Russia. It remains to be seen whether the pro-war bureaucrats will understand this.

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