Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has argued that Russia will not lose the war in Ukraine, calling expectations of Moscow’s defeat “a fairy tale and a complete illusion.” He said that for this reason, frozen Russian assets will ultimately need to be returned to the Kremlin once the Russia’s war against Ukraine ends.
“Stealing the frozen assets of another country—its sovereign wealth funds—has never been done before. This is money belonging to the Central Bank of Russia. Even during the Second World War, German funds were not confiscated, only frozen,” he said.
De Wever added that, historically, a defeated state relinquishes assets voluntarily as part of a peace settlement. But he suggested this would not apply in the current war, arguing that Russia is not losing—and that a defeat for a nuclear-armed country could be destabilizing.
“Who genuinely believes that Russia is losing in Ukraine? Russia is not losing. That is a fairy tale, an illusion. And it is even undesirable for them to lose, so instability does not emerge in a nuclear power,” he said.
Leoric on
Yeah, they’re definitely siphoning money from these funds for themselves
Zealousideal_Rice989 on
Yeh no shit, they have the most to lose from a scheme like this. It’s easier to be brave when your country isnt holding the bag
Littoral_Gecko on
Shame that Belgium didn’t learn from four years of Nazi occupation what neutrality buys you.
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Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has argued that Russia will not lose the war in Ukraine, calling expectations of Moscow’s defeat “a fairy tale and a complete illusion.” He said that for this reason, frozen Russian assets will ultimately need to be returned to the Kremlin once the Russia’s war against Ukraine ends.
“Stealing the frozen assets of another country—its sovereign wealth funds—has never been done before. This is money belonging to the Central Bank of Russia. Even during the Second World War, German funds were not confiscated, only frozen,” he said.
De Wever added that, historically, a defeated state relinquishes assets voluntarily as part of a peace settlement. But he suggested this would not apply in the current war, arguing that Russia is not losing—and that a defeat for a nuclear-armed country could be destabilizing.
“Who genuinely believes that Russia is losing in Ukraine? Russia is not losing. That is a fairy tale, an illusion. And it is even undesirable for them to lose, so instability does not emerge in a nuclear power,” he said.
Yeah, they’re definitely siphoning money from these funds for themselves
Yeh no shit, they have the most to lose from a scheme like this. It’s easier to be brave when your country isnt holding the bag
Shame that Belgium didn’t learn from four years of Nazi occupation what neutrality buys you.