Brussels, Belgium: PM Alexander De Croo said that Belgium anticipates raising €1.7 billion fund for Ukraine by freezing the Russian assets. It will happen next year.
By doing so, Belgium will become the first state to apply such a practice. He noted that the country plans to introduce new sanctions against Russia, primarily targeting the Russian diamond business.
The Ukrainian president appreciated the approach of the Belgian PM on freezing Russian assets. He said, “We discussed how Russia’s frozen assets can be used right now, without wasting time, to compensate for the damage caused by Russia’s aggression.
“It is important that Belgium has become the first country to launch the practice of using frozen Russian assets to support the defence against Russian terror. The funds will be used for security support to our country and projects of fast recovery in the regions of Ukraine.”
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky notes that as a result of his visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, there have been agreements on strengthening Ukrainian defenders and anti-air defence of the country, which is especially important on the eve of the winter period.
Yesterday, the Ukrainian president arrived at NATO headquarters in Brussels to join a meeting of NATO defence ministers and meet with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to discuss “Belgium’s support for Ukraine and the role that Belgium will play in the F-16 coalition.
“Ukraine will be liberated,” De Croo said in his State of the Union. “We will help with this as a member of the F-16 coalition, together with 15 other countries.” He emphasizes that Belgium will be in a position to supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from 2025.
PM De Croo said Belgium will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes. During the meeting, he also discussed strengthening Ukrainian air space ahead of winter.
Last year, Russia tried to weaponize winter by launching numerous airstrikes on Ukrainian power grids.
