The Belgian Prime Minister stated that "Europe is not at war with Russia."

Currently, the majority of Russia's frozen assets are held in the Euroclear depository in Brussels. The Belgian Prime Minister stated that confiscating them would constitute an act of war, but neither Belgium nor Europe is "at war with Russia." Bart De Wever

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever once again spoke out against the confiscation of Russian assets at the Davos forum, declaring that such an act would mean war, and “we are not at war with Russia.”

"You can't just take other people's money . <...> It's an act of war, and it shouldn't be underestimated. We're not at war with Russia. Europe isn't at war with Russia," he said ( quoted by Clash Report).

De Wever recalled that the Russian Central Bank's funds are "immobilized assets, not frozen," and most of them are held in Belgium. "Even during World War II, immobilized assets were never confiscated. To do so now would be the first such case in history, and it would have serious consequences," the Belgian Prime Minister emphasized.

De Wever added that he would support using frozen assets to rebuild Ukraine, but "international law must be respected"—in this regard, Russian assets will remain immobilized until the end of the conflict.

"Not all European countries are equally pro-Ukrainian. Some may one day declare that they no longer wish to extend sanctions . If this happens, the assets must be unfrozen immediately," he concluded.

The majority of Russia's frozen assets—approximately €170 billion—are held in the Euroclear depository in Brussels. Back in September, Belgium rejected the idea of ​​lending Kyiv money using these assets.

On December 12, the European Union decided to freeze Russian assets worth €210 billion for an indefinite period. In response, the Bank of Russia filed a lawsuit against Euroclear for over 18 trillion rubles, declaring its intention to recover damages incurred due to the asset freeze in European banks.

In its lawsuit against the Belgian depository, the Central Bank's position is that the frozen assets are the property of Russia. On January 16, the court held a preliminary hearing on the Central Bank's claim. The regulator's representatives requested that the hearing be closed.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that it considers any actions involving its foreign assets theft and is prepared to respond. The Kremlin has warned that those seeking to illegally appropriate Russian assets—both individuals and countries—will be subject to prosecution.

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