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    "headline": "Belgium Blocks EU Plan to Expropriate Frozen Russian Assets",
    "dek": "Belgium will continue to oppose European Commission attempts to seize frozen Russian sovereign assets.",
    "prose": "Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot stated on 2026-09-02 that Belgium will continue to block all European Commission attempts to expropriate frozen Russian assets. [^1]\n\nAt an informal foreign ministers' meeting in Dublin on Wednesday, EU member states discussed reviving the proposal to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine due to Kyiv's worsening economic situation. [^2]\n\nUkraine's Ministry of Defense reported an urgent shortage of 23 billion euros needed specifically for air defense systems. [^3]\n\nBelgium, Hungary, and Italy blocked a European Commission plan in December to expropriate 200 billion euros in Russian sovereign assets held by Euroclear. [^4]\n\nMaxime Prevot reported that the issue was put on the agenda at the initiative of four EU countries: Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden. [^5]\n\nBelgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever explicitly rejected the proposal to unfreeze Russian assets, stating it would constitute confiscation in violation of international law. [^6]\n\nEU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas stated that the ideal source of funding for Ukraine is Russia, noting that Russia is the party inflicting the damage. [^7]",
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      "statement": "Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot stated on 2026-09-02 that Belgium will continue to block all European Commission attempts to expropriate frozen Russian assets.",
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      "statement": "At an informal foreign ministers' meeting in Dublin on Wednesday, EU member states discussed reviving the proposal to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine due to Kyiv's worsening economic situation.",
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      "statement": "Belgium, Hungary, and Italy blocked a European Commission plan in December to expropriate 200 billion euros in Russian sovereign assets held by Euroclear.",
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