Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever reacted with unmistakable irony to a publication by Politico, whose headline branded his country “Russia’s most valuable asset” over a position that helped derail an agreement on granting Ukraine a reparations loan backed by frozen Russian assets.
Responding to a question from the outlet during a briefing after an EU summit that failed to reach consensus on the issue, De Wever opened with a pointed aside aimed at the journalists. “Ah, Politico. You publish very charming articles with charming headlines about how I am ‘Russia’s most valuable asset’? I liked it. I’ll remember it. Go ahead—ask your question,” he said.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever responds to a question from a Politico journalist during a press conference following the EU summit.
AFP
The prime minister then shifted to broader reflections on politics and European realities. “Real politicians manage their emotions—even when those emotions are pure anger, revenge, or even violence. The decision we took was anonymous. Where exactly is the divide here? Division has always existed in Europe. This is Europe, you see? Twenty-seven countries, different interests, different perspectives—closer to Russia or farther away. We are not playing the same game,” De Wever said, stressing that the decision was taken without naming individual countries. “I’ll repeat it—the decision was anonymous. Do you have a problem with that? What headline will you come up with now?” he added.
Wrapping up his answer, the prime minister returned to a sarcastic register. “All right, it’s time for me to head to my dacha outside St Petersburg, to my neighbors Gérard Depardieu and Bashar al-Assad. I think I could even become the head of that settlement. There’s your next headline,” De Wever said.

The EU Failed to Agree on the Use of Frozen Russian Assets

Ukraine Will Receive a €90 Billion Loan Backed by the Bloc’s Budget

EU Taxpayers Will Pay About €3 Billion a Year in Interest to Finance Ukraine

The Bloc Is Issuing Joint Debt While Deferring a Decision on Using Frozen Russian Assets

Following the European Union, the United Kingdom has declined to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine and has not announced any new loans for Kyiv. This was reported by the Financial Times.
According to the newspaper, the decision was taken after a similar initiative failed to secure approval at the EU level. London, however, said it would “repurpose credit guarantees” for Ukraine worth around $2 billion, while the European Union had previously agreed a €90 billion loan.
As the Financial Times уточняет, this does not involve new commitments. These are existing guarantees whose срок was extended until 2026 and which are intended to cover Ukraine’s urgent budgetary needs.