German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that he sees the need to use frozen Russian assets in support of Ukraine as increasingly urgent and hopes for an agreement on the issue within the European Union soon, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
"I find the need to do this increasingly urgent", Merz said at a joint press conference with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob in Berlin.
"Ukraine needs our support. Russian attacks are intensifying. Winter is approaching, or rather, it has already arrived. In this regard, I hope that we can reach a joint solution within the EU," the German Chancellor added.
Meanwhile, the European Commission confirmed that it had received the letter from Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever criticizing the plans to use Russian sovereign assets on the grounds that such a decision could undermine efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine. This was stated by European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho, quoted by TASS.
"This is indeed true, such a letter from Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever to the President of the European Commission was received. However, we do not comment on the topics of our discussions," said Pinho.
The spokeswoman noted that the EC recognizes Belgium's right to criticize this plan.
"The EU is entering uncharted waters and it is permissible to ask questions and express concerns, the EC is trying to answer all concerns in a satisfactory way so that everyone feels confident and supports this decision," added Pinho.
The spokeswoman pointed out that the EC is continuing its work on preparing the use of the assets, coordinating it with all EU member states, including Belgium. According to her, the EC's legal proposals on the plan to use Russian assets in the form of so-called reparations loans will be presented in the coming days.
However, Pigno did not answer the question of whether the EU could decide to use Russian assets not unanimously, but by a qualified majority, which would allow the veto of Belgium and Hungary to be bypassed, TASS reports.