Belgium blocks EU plan to seize Russian assets for Ukraine aid, citing serious fears of Putin retaliation and potential war escalation against Europe.

The European Commission is open to include guarantees that Belgium wants in the plan to use immobilised Russian central bank assets for a loan to Ukraine, European Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Friday.

EADaily, . The European Commission's plan to use frozen Russian assets in favor of Kiev is theft. This was announced to the Belga agency by Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever.

BRUSSELS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Thursday he hopes to have a "fruitful discussion" with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday about an EU plan to use Russian frozen assets to support Ukraine against Russia's invasion.

Unveiling her plan on Dec. 4, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s needs for 2026 and 2027, for a total of 90 billion euros ($105 billion). International partners would fill the gap.

The Russian Central Bank said in a press release that it had sued Euroclear, the Belgian financial institution holding the vast majority of Europe's frozen assets, in a Moscow court on Dec. 12. The bank also called the EU's reparations loan "illegal" and "contrary to international law" in a separate press release,