The European Commission has not convinced Belgium: negotiations on Russian assets failed to make a breakthrough

Negotiations between the European Commission and the Belgian authorities on the use of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine have so far failed to yield results. This was reported by , Belgian media (with reference to the Belga agency) and Euronews .

The meeting took place on the morning of November 7. The discussion was constructive, but failed to address Belgium's legal and financial concerns.

The Belgian side continues to insist that the European Commission offer alternative options.

"We expect that all possible options will be worked out in detail and presented at the next meeting of the European Council. All options should be on the table. Every possible approach should be assessed with all rigor and transparency to ensure the best solution," an unnamed Belgian government source told Euronews .

When asked if the Belgian government was "disappointed" with the lack of alternatives, the source replied: "Not yet, but time is running out and we remain constructive.".

According to Euractiv, the EU is considering two ways to finance Ukraine, if Belgium cannot be convinced – joint EU debt or bilateral grants.

• The idea of a "reparations loan" of up to 140 billion euros based on the cash balances of Russia's frozen assets, was put forward on September 10.
• Thanks to the "reparations loan," Ukraine could receive 45 billion euros annually for the next three years – from 2026 to 2028.
• On October 23, , the EU postponed the decision on a "reparations loan" to Ukraine from Russian assets until December.