Germany's Merz wants EU states to share risks of Russian asset plan alongside Belgium

In an opinion piece published by German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Wednesday, Merz said each country should "incur an equal share of the risk, as a function of their respective economic performance". The European Commission proposed on Wednesday an unprecedented use of frozen Russian assets or international borrowing to raise 90 billion euros ($105 billion) for Ukraine to cover its struggling military and basic services against Russia's war.

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz has come out in favour of giving Belgium assurance that the risks of a planned use of frozen Russian state assets to support Ukraine would be borne fairly by all European Union countries. In an opinion piece published by German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Wednesday, Merz said each country should "incur an equal share of the risk, as a function of their respective economic performance".

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday an unprecedented use of frozen Russian assets or international borrowing to raise 90 billion euros ($105 billion) for Ukraine to cover its struggling military and basic services against Russia's war. The move did not sway Belgium, which holds most of the assets and has expressed a range of legal concerns.

Merz said Belgium could not reasonably rely solely on political promises and deserves legally binding assurance. "It would be unacceptable for a single country to bear an excessive burden in this regard," said Merz.

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