EU Rushes To Secure Russian Assets Under Emergency Powers, Bypassing Hungary Veto
EU Rushes To Secure Russian Assets Under Emergency Powers, Bypassing Hungary Veto
Ukraine is desperately seeking more money, which has been a persistent reality of the war, and the European Union is scrambling to find solutions amid a general Western war weariness which has already seen hundreds of billions poured into Kiev's coffers.
Currently EU member states are rapidly advancing
to permanently freeze as much as €210 billion ($244.38 billion) in Russian state assets to finance Ukraine for at least the next two years. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is seeking to use a loophole to rush this through, based on invoking emergency powers to sanction the frozen assets on a permanent basis, instead of holding the funds based on current six-month renewals, which requires unanimous agreement from all member states.
The plan would see €90 billion (roughly $104.71 billion) released over the next two years. Von der Leyen's scheme would allow for the plan to pass merely with a qualified majority, and so couldn't be derailed by just a lone veto. Nations like Germany and Spain have already signaled their support.
EU leadership is rushing it forward to circumvent holdout Hungary in getting what's being dubbed a "reparations loan" to Ukraine, and there's also the idea that it would bolster the EU’s negotiating position in US-led peace negotiations.
EU summits chairman Antonio Costa has vowed to deliver the desired outcome by any means. "The leaders are to decide at a summit on December 18 in Brussels how to deliver on their pledge and Costa told reporters in Dublin he would keep them talking for days, if necessary, until they reach an agreement," https://www.reuters.com/business/eus-costa-we-are-very-close-solution-frozen-russian-assets-2025-12-09/
reports.
It will involve more than just overcoming the hurdle of Hungarian objections, however, given Belgium is not onboard at this point, and the bulk of the Russian funds are kept in Belgian banks.
For starters, Brussels fears immediate negative repercussions from Russia, which could deeply hurt its economy, and so wants guarantees ahead of any EU vote that all members would help absorb the impact.
Von der Leyen has acknowledged the issue, posting on X: "Belgium’s particular situation regarding the use of the frozen Russian assets is undeniable and must be addressed in such a way that all European states bear the same risk." She added: "We agreed to continue our discussions with the aim of reaching a consensus at the European Council meeting on December 18."
Belgium's initial reaction was to call it "complete madness" - according to 
:
‘This is complete madness,’ [Belgian Prime Minister Bart] de Wever said of the proposal in October, according to POLITICO Brussels. The Belgian prime minister argued that the risk of legal and financial retaliation from Moscow is simply too great. He told his colleagues that if Russia were to win lawsuits against Belgium or Euroclear—which holds the frozen assets—the country would be forced to compensate the entire amount itself.
De Wever’s concerns are not unfounded. Reacting to the Commission’s proposal, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that any ‘illegal action’ involving frozen assets would provoke the ‘https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/russia-mocks-eu-deliberations-frozen-assets-says-seizure-will-prompt-harshest-2025-12-04/
’, adding that Moscow is already preparing a package of countermeasures. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev described the plan as a ‘casus belli’, labelling the move tantamount to outright theft.
EU diplomats have been in back-and-forth negotiations with Belgium. Germany's Chancellor Merz has also acknowledged, "What we decide now will determine Europe's future: Belgium's particular vulnerability in the issue of utilizing the frozen Russian assets is indisputable and must be addressed in such a way that all European states bear the same risk."
💼 
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) 
The European Commission is working on 'safeguards'. "The Belgian government, along with Euroclear, are looking for financial guarantees from fellow EU member states before committing to supporting the plan," 
writes. "De Wever fears that Belgium will ultimately be held responsible and be forced to pay back the assets that are seized in the event a sanctions deal is negotiated with Russia as a way to end the war in Ukraine." But without doubt, the Kremlin has been brainstorming the punitive actions it could in turn unleash to make Belgium and Europe feel the pain.
Thu, 12/11/2025 - 02:45
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EU leadership is rushing it forward to circumvent holdout Hungary in getting what's being dubbed a "reparations loan" to Ukraine, and there's also the idea that it would bolster the EU’s negotiating position in US-led peace negotiations.
EU summits chairman Antonio Costa has vowed to deliver the desired outcome by any means. "The leaders are to decide at a summit on December 18 in Brussels how to deliver on their pledge and Costa told reporters in Dublin he would keep them talking for days, if necessary, until they reach an agreement," https://www.reuters.com/business/eus-costa-we-are-very-close-solution-frozen-russian-assets-2025-12-09/
reports.
It will involve more than just overcoming the hurdle of Hungarian objections, however, given Belgium is not onboard at this point, and the bulk of the Russian funds are kept in Belgian banks.
For starters, Brussels fears immediate negative repercussions from Russia, which could deeply hurt its economy, and so wants guarantees ahead of any EU vote that all members would help absorb the impact.
Von der Leyen has acknowledged the issue, posting on X: "Belgium’s particular situation regarding the use of the frozen Russian assets is undeniable and must be addressed in such a way that all European states bear the same risk." She added: "We agreed to continue our discussions with the aim of reaching a consensus at the European Council meeting on December 18."
Belgium's initial reaction was to call it "complete madness" - according to Hungarian Conservative
Belgium Becomes Russia’s ‘Most Valuable Asset’ in Western Mainstream - Hungarian Conservative
For years, Brussels’ progressive mainstream has painted Viktor Orbán as the EU’s so-called ‘Russian asset’. But now Belgium’s own prime ...
X (formerly Twitter)
Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) on X
Freedom fighter, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Prime Minister of Hungary 🇭🇺🇭🇺🇭🇺
X (formerly Twitter)
Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) on X
💼 @PM_ViktorOrban: Brussels wants to seize frozen Russian assets, but we must first ask what countermeasures would follow. If Hungarian companie...
Fox News
Belgium balks at EU plan to seize Russian assets, citing fear of Kremlin retaliation
Belgium blocks EU plan to seize Russian assets for Ukraine aid, citing serious fears of Putin retaliation and potential war escalation against Europe.
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EU Rushes To Secure Russian Assets Under Emergency Powers, Bypassing Hungary Veto | ZeroHedge
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Bloomberg 
Christian Zionists like Evans believe that the modern state of Israel has the right to all of the land in historic Palestine, including the Israeli-occupied West Bank, based on the Bible, a view that has its roots in dispensationalism, a Christian theology developed in the US in the 19th century.
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The Israeli Foreign Ministry has taken other steps to influence American Christians, including spending 
Some might wonder why anyone would "dream" of becoming a coal miner. No one does, but in Argentina in 2012 coal mining was considered a higher paying job ($1500 per month US). Carlos does not actually extract coal, he repairs machinery that helps in the mining of coal, but is technically considered a "coal miner".
Some people might remember the explosive controversy over Netflix's distribution of the 2020 film "Cuties" - A French movie featuring 11-year-old girls in a highly sexualized dance troupe. Critics accused the filmmakers of creating thinly veiled child pornography disguised as feminist empowerment. The film's director is a female Muslim feminist from Senegal who grew up in a polygamous family. Around 10% of Senegalese Muslim marriages involve minors under the age of 15.
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U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer rejected the Trump administration’s argument that protests against federal immigration authorities constituted a rebellion that warranted the president’s federalization of California National Guard troops.
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In 2002, the court held in Atkins v. Virginia that sentencing intellectually disabled convicts to death violated the Eighth Amendment’s bar on “cruel and unusual punishment.” How prisoners go about proving that disability can vary, but doing so may involve showing that their IQ falls below a particular threshold.
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According to 
It really depends on how one measures success. Musk told Miller the cost-cutting effort was "somewhat successful," but noted that, given the response from Deep State-aligned activist groups that targeted Tesla, he wouldn't do it again.
"We were a little bit successful. We were somewhat successful. We stopped a lot of funding that really just made no sense, that was entirely wasteful," he said. Miller if he would go back to lead the organization again, he said: "No, I don't think so."
Absolutely surreal to interview one of the greatest minds of our time, a friend, and boss.
Thank you, 
Perhaps not measured in total dollar amount, some of the success came from dismantling corrupt USAID funding pipelines into NGOs and rooting out other fraud, waste, and abuse that funneled into the Democratic Party's machine; then maybe the true nature of DOGE's successes emerges. The lashing out by left-wing activist groups and progressive politicians against Tesla is exactly the response one would expect if you stopped their years of taxpayer looting sprees.
Let's revisit what we said very early in DOGE's noble efforts, noting that while Musk's foray into the DC swap to drain it to the degree pitched would not be attainable.
Here's the bigger play at hand, and why there is only token pushback to DOGE.
You cut enough spending - even if it's all grift and fraud - you eventually get a recession, guaranteed. That's all Congress is waiting for cause then they use the "emergency" to vote through a far…
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) 