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.

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.

Evidence

"Bart De Wever, who is currently blocking the use of Russian funds for Ukraine, maintained close relations with high-ranking Russian officials before and long after the 2014 annexation of Crimea."
"It is estimated that Belgium holds between 185 and 210 billion euros of these assets."
"In April 2018, [...] De Wever and Mayor Sergey Sobyanin signed a comprehensive cooperation program."
"The city administration pressured construction companies to meet quotas for recruiting volunteers for the war in Ukraine, demonstrating the direct entanglement of Moscow’s city government with the regime’s military-political objectives."
"In February 2020, the governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov, met with the mayor of Antwerp, Bart De Wever, and his delegation in St. Petersburg."
"Beglov used the visit to invite the European delegation to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War."
"Bart De Wever blocks the use of frozen Russian billions under the pretext of 'legal uncertainty,' thereby clearly protecting Moscow’s interests at the expense of aid to Ukraine."

Classification

Confidence: High

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.