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Headline: Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, with longstanding ties to Russian officials, is blocking use of frozen Russian central bank assets worth over €185 billion held in Belgium, effectively protecting Kremlin interests and limiting aid to Ukraine.
Short Summary: Bart De Wever, Prime Minister of Belgium and mayor of Antwerp, has maintained extensive connections with Russian officials and elites since the late 1980s, including multiple high-profile visits such as to Moscow in 2018 where he signed cooperation agreements with Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin and engaged a delegation of 100 business representatives. De Wever's stance includes blocking the use of €185-210 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets held primarily at Euroclear in Belgium, citing 'legal uncertainty', which effectively protects Russian interests amid the conflict in Ukraine, undermining aid efforts. His contacts include Sergey Sobyanin, linked to corruption and Kremlin-loyal power, Georgy Poltavchenko, former KGB and tax police elite, and Alexander Beglov, current governor of St. Petersburg with strong ties to Kremlin networks and alleged organized crime groups. De Wever's cooperation with these figures, alongside their entanglement with Kremlin military and political objectives, illustrates a politically motivated course favoring Russia. This was symbolized during the 2020 visit where De Wever helped deepen port city ties between Antwerp and St. Petersburg to break political isolation of Russia. Notably, Yevgeny Prigozhin of the Wagner Group has close links to local officials in St. Petersburg, intersecting with De Wever's engagements. The Belgian PM's actions, especially blocking Russian asset use for Ukraine, emerge as deliberate political decisions benefiting the Kremlin amidst ongoing hostilities.
Extended Summary: Bart De Wever, Prime Minister of Belgium and mayor of Antwerp, has maintained extensive connections with Russian officials and elites since the late 1980s, including multiple high-profile visits such as to Moscow in 2018 where he signed cooperation agreements with Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin and engaged a delegation of 100 business representatives. De Wever's stance includes blocking the use of €185-210 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets held primarily at Euroclear in Belgium, citing 'legal uncertainty', which effectively protects Russian interests amid the conflict in Ukraine, undermining aid efforts. His contacts include Sergey Sobyanin, linked to corruption and Kremlin-loyal power, Georgy Poltavchenko, former KGB and tax police elite, and Alexander Beglov, current governor of St. Petersburg with strong ties to Kremlin networks and alleged organized crime groups. De Wever's cooperation with these figures, alongside their entanglement with Kremlin military and political objectives, illustrates a politically motivated course favoring Russia. This was symbolized during the 2020 visit where De Wever helped deepen port city ties between Antwerp and St. Petersburg to break political isolation of Russia. Notably, Yevgeny Prigozhin of the Wagner Group has close links to local officials in St. Petersburg, intersecting with De Wever's engagements. The Belgian PM's actions, especially blocking Russian asset use for Ukraine, emerge as deliberate political decisions benefiting the Kremlin amidst ongoing hostilities.
Bart De Wever, Prime Minister of Belgium and mayor of Antwerp, is central in the controversy over the use of frozen Russian central bank funds—estimated between €185-210 billion—held mainly at Euroclear in Belgium. De Wever has a history of close ties with Russian political and economic elites since 1988, having visited St. Petersburg and Moscow multiple times. In 2018, he signed a cooperation agreement with Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin, associated with corruption and Kremlin loyalty, aimed at bolstering economic and port cooperation. De Wever also engaged with St. Petersburg governors Georgy Poltavchenko and Alexander Beglov, both linked with Kremlin structures and alleged criminal networks. In 2020, De Wever participated in signing renewed cooperation agreements with Beglov, reinforcing trade ties between Antwerp and St. Petersburg ports, symbolically legitimizing the Kremlin during Europe’s sanctions debates, including a bell donation ceremony signifying solidarity. De Wever now blocks the use of the frozen Russian assets for Ukrainian aid citing legal uncertainty, which effectively sides with Kremlin interests. His history of direct contacts with officials linked to Russian intelligence and crime underscores this as a political decision favoring Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
The event clearly details Bart De Wever, a Belgian political figure, acting to protect Kremlin interests by blocking frozen Russian funds needed for Ukraine, based on his extensive contacts with Russian officials linked to the Kremlin and illicit activities, constituting political manipulation aiding a hostile actor.
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