Unblocking Russian frozen assets 'matter of time', says EU Commissioner Lahbib

EuronewsCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete October 24, 2025 at 04:51 PM

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EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib stated that Belgium is not blocking a plan to use Russia's frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s war effort following an inconclusive European Council summit on October 23rd. The EU leaders aimed to agree on a €140 billion interest-free loan for Ukraine but could not address Belgian concerns over the legality and potential Russian retaliation. Lahbib emphasized that using frozen assets is unprecedented and requires legal safeguards, suggesting it is only a matter of time before an agreement is reached. Belgium hosts most of Russia's immobilized funds through Euroclear in Brussels, raising concerns about potential legal repercussions if Russia demands repayment. The EU Council plans to revisit the issue at another summit in December.

Key Topics & Entities

Russia ×360% EU ×270% Ukraine ×380% Hadja Lahbib ×2100% Belgium ×4100%

Keywords

frozen assets 90% ukraine's war effort 85% eu council summit 75% belgium 65% legal concerns 60% financial support 55% russian retaliation 50% interest-free loan 45% euroclear 45% financial and military needs 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

Euronews

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Belgium

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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frozen assets ukraine's war effort eu council summit belgium legal concerns financial support russian retaliation interest-free loan euroclear financial and military needs

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