Zelensky meets Belgian Prime Minister De Wever, but silence reigns on Russian assets
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BRUSSELS, Belgium — President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on the sidelines of the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on Oct. 15.
However, the talks apparently failed to yield a breakthrough on the fate of €200 billion ($227 billion) in Russian assets immobilized by Euroclear under Belgian jurisdiction.
Zelensky's Telegram post following the 20-minute evening meeting makes no mention of assets at all, and focused instead on Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and cooperation with Belgium to source fighter jets and ammunition to tackle Moscow's jet-powered Shahed drones.
De Wever's chief of staff for foreign affairs and security, Pascal Heyman, likewise posted a picture of the meeting on social media, saying the two exchanged views on "Russia's war in Ukraine and Belgium's steadfast assistance to the country," but also making no mention of Russian assets.
Zelensky had been expected to raise the question of the EU using Russian immobilized assets to finance Ukraine's needs, as the Belgian prime minister was the most prominent opponent of the move the last time it was discussed, in December 2025.
Ukrainian politicians have also begun calling for Europe to use the assets, and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha penned an opinion piece in Politico to that end.
Instead, the only reference to Russian assets was a social media post from Zelensky published after the meeting with De Wever, but about his earlier meeting with Belgian King Philippe.
It is "important that frozen Russian assets remain immobilized," Zelensky wrote.
"As long as the war continues, Russia must not receive anything it could invest in further killings and destabilization in Europe," Zelensky said.
U.S. diplomats raised the idea of transferring the assets immobilized in Europe to their jurisdiction for them to be used in negotiations with Russia.
However, this idea was not likely to ever be taken seriously in European circles, and was roundly criticized at the Oct. 15 summit.
