Merz diverts trip to Brussels in push for Russian frozen assets

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has postponed a planned visit to Oslo on December 6 and will instead travel to Brussels for high-level talks with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, his spokesman announced.

Merz’s revised schedule includes a private dinner with De Wever and von der Leyen as part of intensified diplomatic efforts to overcome Belgium’s opposition to a European Union plan to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, Bloomberg reports. 

Belgium, which holds the largest share of the immobilised Russian central-bank funds, this week rejected EU proposals to channel those assets toward covering €90 billion of Ukraine’s financial needs. 

The Belgian government has expressed concerns that the country could ultimately be left solely responsible for repaying the substantial loan if the plan were to fail.

By Sabina Mammadli