Nearly two-thirds of Belgians reject a European Union plan to use frozen Russian assets to finance a loan to Ukraine, according to a new survey released on Monday by Belgian media outlets RTL Info, IPSOS, and Le Soir. The poll shows that 67 percent of respondents believe Belgium should not agree to releasing the assets, aligning with the position of Prime Minister Bart De Wever, while 22 percent support the proposal and 11 percent said they are not interested in the issue.
Opposition to the plan is largely driven by concerns over potential systemic and financial risks for Belgium. Several EU member states, including Belgium, have raised legal and institutional objections, particularly because the bulk of the frozen Russian assets are held at Euroclear in Brussels. As the Belgian capital also serves as the de facto seat of the EU, officials fear that reallocating the funds could expose the country to legal challenges and broader financial instability.
The issue comes as the EU has moved to “indefinitely immobilize” Russian assets, with bloc leaders set to decide on their possible allocation to Ukraine during a two-day summit in Brussels starting Thursday. Russia’s Central Bank has already denounced the plan as illegal and warned that Moscow reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its interests, adding another layer of geopolitical and legal complexity to the debate.
