Frozen Russian assets plan faces Belgium opposition

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot pushed back on Wednesday against renewed EU efforts to use frozen Russian central bank assets to fund Ukraine, saying Belgium's opposition had not changed.

Most of the roughly 200 billion euros, or $230 billion, in frozen Russian central bank assets are held in Belgium. Belgian opposition helped block an EU plan last year to use the funds, and EU countries instead agreed on a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine.

Four EU countries have pushed to reopen the debate amid concerns that the loan money may not last as long as hoped.

Prevot said after talks with EU counterparts in Ireland that the proposal had met with little enthusiasm among other ministers. He said the reasons for Belgium's opposition had not disappeared and warned that using the assets through a process similar to confiscation carried significant risk.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said fresh funds for Ukraine should ultimately come from Russia and that EU countries would continue discussing the frozen assets.