Brussels: On May 13, from 13:00 to 14:00, a demonstration organized by Promote Ukraine and the International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV) took place near the Belgian Federal Parliament to call on the government and Belgian Prime Minister to take a leading role in providing air defence systems to Ukraine.
The Russian Central Bank holds approximately €210 billion within the EU, primarily in Belgium. We believe these funds should be used to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence without prolongation.
We have to do everything we can to get all the resources available for this fight and to the extent that Russia is responsible for what is happening in Ukraine, and we should also look at these frozen assets.
– Johan Van Overveldt, a deputy of the European Parliament.
During the recent attack on 17 April, Russian missiles hit the city of Chernihiv, killing 17 Ukrainian civilians and injuring more than 60. The deadly attack was one of several Russian missile strikes in recent weeks. At the same time, Russia also launched a wave of deliberate attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing even more damage than in the winter of 2022-2023.
Recommendations of international law experts and the United Nations foresee that states may use instrumental countermeasures in response to the internationally wrongful act of another state. A similar instrument was used by the United States against Iranian state funds in 1981, as well as against Iraqi state funds in 1982, and will be implemented by the U.S. administration now.
– mentioned a Senator of the Belgium Senate Mark Demesmaeker.
Considering the delay in delivering military aid from Western countries, Ukrainian, foreign experts and political actors predict a future, large-scale offensive by the Russian army in late spring or early summer. Therefore, we call on Belgium to use frozen Russian assets to help close the sky over Ukraine.
During the demonstration, protesters passed an open letter to Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, calling him to take immediate action.
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