BRUSSELS, November 26. /TASS/. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has once called again for the use of frozen Russian assets, causing irritation of some EU politicians, the Euractiv portal reported, citing sources.
According to the portal, at a meeting with members of the European People's Party (EPP) in Strasbourg, Kallas "mounted a forceful defense" of the proposal to use Russian assets to issue loans to Ukraine, the proposal Belgium opposes.
"Tensions are flaring over Belgium’s continued refusal to play ball with the EU’s plan to tap immobilized Russian assets," Euractiv wrote.
"She wondered why Belgium was so worried. Which court was Russia going to go to? Which judge would ever rule for Russia on this?" one of the portal's sources said.
One of the participants in the meeting said Kallas was "very condescending" in her remarks about Belgium’s position.
One non-Belgian MEP summed up the sentiment as essentially: stop complaining.
Kallas also pointed to her Estonian background implying she understands Russia better than the Belgians, the Euraktov wrote, referring to two other sources.
Belgium, where 200 bln euros worth of Russian assets are frozen on the Euroclear platform, blocked the European Commission's proposal to confiscate them under the guise of a so-called "reparations loan’ to Kiev at the EU summit on October 23. The Belgian government is demanding legally binding guarantees from all EU countries that they will fully share Brussels' financial and legal risks arising from Russia's retaliatory actions.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Belgium Denis Gonchar said in an interview with TASS, that regardless of the way the asset confiscating occurs, it will be theft. He warned that Russia's response "will follow immediately" and force the West to "count its losses.".