Drone sightings over Belgium may be related to discussions about the use of frozen Russian assets, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius suggested, UNN reports with reference to The Guardian.
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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius suggested that repeated drone sightings over Belgium this week are "likely related to the struggle over the use of frozen Russian assets located in Belgium," Reuters reported.
Earlier, in a sharp speech, Pistorius also warned that Russia continues to seek to "sow doubt, divide us, and influence elections," and that "these are no longer abstract scenarios," as Russia "will not back down from its attempts to forcibly redraw borders."
Last month, EU leaders failed to agree on a €140 billion "reparations loan" for Ukraine, which was to be secured by frozen Russian assets.
Leaders need the consent of Belgium, where Euroclear holds €183 billion in Russian central bank assets – 86% of all Russian state assets in the EU and two-thirds of the total assets worldwide.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said last month that the main problem is how to ensure immediate availability of funds in case of problems.
"If you want to do this, we will have to act together. We want guarantees that if funds need to be returned, each member state will contribute. The consequences can only be for Belgium," he said.
Asked about the progress of negotiations with Belgium, European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Olof Gill said today that "there is no updated information on the timeline," but the EU executive body "aims to present options as soon as possible so that decisions on them can be taken by the European Council in December."