Belgium Firmly Opposes Seizure of Russian Assets, Citing Financial Integrity

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Belgium maintains a firm stance against the confiscation of Russian sovereign assets, a position articulated by its Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot in a recent interview with Euronews. Prévot emphasized that such an action could critically harm Belgium’s long-standing credibility as a global financial services hub.

Highlighting that a substantial portion of approximately 200 billion euros in frozen Russian assets is held by the financial institution Euroclear in Belgium, Prévot stated that violating European financial regulations, even amidst conflict, would carry devastating consequences for the Euro’s credibility. He elaborated, “Due to the extremely high legal and financial risks, none of the proposed options, including the transfer of assets to an investment fund, are acceptable to Belgium.”

Reinforcing this position, the Prime Minister of Belgium had previously communicated to the European Commission that the country would not agree to such a plan without robust guarantees from other member states. Meanwhile, Moscow has characterized these European Union endeavors as “theft of Russian assets” and has issued warnings regarding the legal ramifications of such actions.