Belgian Prime Minister, who blocked the transfer of Russian assets to Ukraine, resigns

Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever, who opposed the use of frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine, has announced his resignation. The reason was the failure of negotiations to reduce the country’s budget deficit for 2027.

This was reported by the press service of the Royal Palace of Belgium.

On Monday, November 2, de Wever met with King Philippe and handed him his resignation request. However, the monarch has not yet made a decision and plans to hold consultations with the leaders of the parties in the government coalition.

The king’s next meeting with the prime minister was scheduled for November 6.

The Royal Palace stressed that Belgium cannot afford a prolonged political crisis amid economic difficulties and geopolitical uncertainty. The King called on political forces to seek compromise and put the country’s interests first.

It is worth noting that de Wever has previously opposed the use of frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine. In December 2025, he blocked the approval of a reparations loan that the EU planned to provide to Kyiv using these assets.

Most of the frozen Russian funds in Europe are held by the Belgian depository Euroclear.

In addition, in March, de Wever called on the European Union to normalize relations with Russia and resume purchases of Russian energy resources.

A possible change in the head of government could affect Belgium’s position on Russian assets. At the same time, it is not yet known whether the country will change its approach to this issue.