Zelensky meets Belgian PM De Wever in Brussels, but frozen Russian assets remain off agenda

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in Brussels on October 15, 2026, to discuss air defense and energy protection, but the issue of utilizing immobilized Russian assets was omitted from their dialogue. As Kyiv seeks European alternatives for missile defense and satellite communication amid rising tensions with US President Donald Trump, De Wever refuses to discuss touching frozen funds, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz explicitly rejected a US plan to control €210 billion in Russian assets.

Zelensky meets with Belgian Prime Minister De Wever

• ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on October 15, 2026, on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels.
• ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever discussed cooperation to source fighter jets and ammunition to counter Russian Shahed drones.
• ▪The meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever lasted 20 minutes and focused on energy infrastructure attacks and military aid.

Disagreements arise over immobilized Russian state assets

• ▪German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected a US proposal to place €210 billion of immobilized Russian assets into a Washington-controlled vehicle.
• ▪Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever publicly opposed discussing or using immobilized Russian state assets before the end of the war in Ukraine.
• ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated following a meeting with Belgian King Philippe that frozen Russian assets must remain immobilized during the war.

EU addresses Ukraine's future financing gap

• ▪An EU diplomat estimated that the European Union would need to cover tens of billions of dollars toward Ukraine's 2027 financing gap.
• ▪The Ukrainian government estimated its external financing gap for 2027 at $78 billion during discussions at the October 2026 EU summit.

US election tensions prompt Ukrainian calls for European defense autonomy

• ▪Tensions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump escalated ahead of the October 2026 EU summit in Brussels.
• ▪Uncertainty over continued US military and technical support prompted Ukrainian officials to seek alternative security arrangements in Europe.
• ▪Ukraine's deputy chief of staff Ihor Zhovkva called on October 16, 2026, for European alternatives to US anti-ballistic missile defence capabilities and Starlink satellite communications due to uncertainty surrounding US support.

EU summit fails to resolve seven-year budget

• ▪European Council President António Costa scheduled a special summit for November 26, 2026, to present a fresh budget proposal.
• ▪EU leaders failed to reach an agreement on the European Union's seven-year budget during summit negotiations in mid-October 2026.