EU must make decision on Russian assets at summit on December 18 – Merz
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever agreed to continue discussions to reach a coordinated decision on the use of frozen Russian assets at the European Council meeting on December 18.
According to an Ukrinform correspondent, this is stated in a declaration by German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius.
Kornelius said that the President of the European Commission and the two heads of government had agreed to continue their exchange of views with the aim of finding a coordinated decision at the European Council on December 18.
It is noted that during their meeting on Friday evening in Berlin, they discussed the situation in Ukraine and the issue of using frozen Russian assets.
According to him, the parties acknowledged that in the current geopolitical situation time is of the essence and stressed that financial support for Ukraine is key to Europe's security.
Merz stated that they had had a very constructive exchange of views on the matter and that Belgium’s particular vulnerability regarding the use of frozen Russian assets was undeniable, adding that any possible decision had to take this into account so that all European states would bear equal risk.
As Ukrinform reported, the previous evening European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had arrived in Brussels. The meeting focused on exchanging views on the situation in Ukraine and the frozen Russian assets.
Earlier, Friedrich Merz rejected transferring to the United States the Russian assets frozen within the EU, which, according to media reports, had been a topic in peace negotiations being promoted by the Donald Trump administration.
The European Commission has proposed two solutions to meet Ukraine's financial needs for 2026–2027: EU borrowing and a reparations loan.
Earlier, the Belgian depository Euroclear, which holds most of Russia's frozen assets, stated that European governments would face higher borrowing costs if the EU used these funds to provide Ukraine with EUR 140 billion in loans.
Belgium, where the majority of frozen Russian assets are held, criticized the European Commission's plan. Ursula von der Leyen stated that the Commission's new proposal for a "reparations loan" for Ukraine financed by frozen Russian assets takes into account almost all of Belgium's concerns.
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