LONDON, December 12. /TASS/. The United Kingdom and Belgium agree that now it is crucial moment for Ukraine’s future and continue working on the issue of the frozen Russian assets, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said after his talks with his visiting Belgian counterpart, Bart De Wever.
"On Ukraine, they discussed the latest on peace talks and agreed that these were at a pivotal moment for Ukraine's future. It was clear, they agreed, that keeping up the economic pressure on Russia and putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position would remain the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace," it said.
The two also discussed the topic of the potential expropriation of Russian assets the Belgium authorities have been opposing to. "They discussed ongoing work, together with European partners, on addressing Ukraine’s financial needs, including through the use of the value of immobilized Russian Sovereign Assets. They agreed to continue to work together closely to make progress on this complex issue," it said.
The European Commission hopes to talk EU member countries into passing a decision on the expropriation of Russian assets during the EU summit on December 18-19. There are about €210 billion worth of immobilized Russian assets in Europe, including €185 billion held by Belgium’s Euroclear. That is why, Belgium opposes the European Commission’s plan for the expropriation of Russian sovereign assets blocked in Europe under the guise of a so-called "reparations loan" to Ukraine, being afraid of Russia’s potential response.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the potential confiscation of Russia’s assets would constitute an act of theft. Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuichenko told TASS that options of how Russia can respond to the potential seizure of its assets have already been presented to the country’s leadership. Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov has warned that Moscow would not leave such actions unanswered.