Belgian PM urges EU to negotiate with Russia

In an interview with the Belgian newspaper L’Echo published on Saturday, De Wever argued that the bloc had failed to force Moscow into retreat through military aid to Kiev or economic pressure alone. He warned that the EU would end up with a “bad agreement” if sidelined from negotiations.

“Since we are not capable of threatening [Russian President Vladimir] Putin by sending weapons to Ukraine, and we cannot choke him economically without the support of the US, there is only one method left: making a deal,” he told the outlet.

“Without a mandate to go and negotiate in Moscow, we are not at the negotiating table where the Americans will push Ukraine to accept a deal. And I can already say that it will be a bad agreement for us,” he added.

Last year, US President Donald Trump proposed a roadmap to peace, urging Ukraine to cede some territory to Russia. Kiev and its European backers rejected his reported 28-point plan as too favorable to Moscow. Brussels, which has committed around €195 billion to Ukraine since the escalation of the conflict, has vowed to maintain pressure on Russia.

EU representatives have been excluded from the US-brokered talks between Moscow and Kiev in Abu Dhabi and Geneva earlier this year. 

De Wever has previously opposed EU proposals to confiscate frozen Russian sovereign assets held in Europe to back a €90 billion loan to Kiev, saying such a step could amount to a “declaration of war” against Moscow. After Axel Springer-owned Politico branded him “Russia’s most valuable asset,” the Belgian PM argued that a “real politician” should not be driven by emotions. 

Belgium faces the biggest legal and financial risks, as the bulk of the Russian money – €185 billion ($216 billion) – is held in the Belgium-based clearing house Euroclear.