European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who arrived in Brussels.

She reported this on the X network, Ukrinform's own correspondent reports.

"I met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to exchange views on the situation in Ukraine and frozen Russian assets. We agreed that time is of the essence, given the current geopolitical situation," von der Leyen wrote.

She emphasized that financial support for Ukraine is central to European security.

The President of the European Commission noted a very constructive exchange of views on this matter in the context of Belgium's concerns about its own financial, economic and political risks arising from the idea of a reparations loan based on Russian assets frozen in the Belgian depository Euroclear.

"The special situation of Belgium regarding the use of frozen Russian assets is undeniable and must be resolved in such a way that all European states bear the same risk," von der Leyen stated.

According to her, the parties agreed to continue negotiations with the aim of reaching a consensus at the European Council meeting on December 18.

As Ukrinform reported, Friedrich Merz rejected the transfer of Russian assets frozen in the EU to the United States, which, according to media reports, was the subject of peace negotiations promoted by the Donald Trump administration.

The European Commission has proposed two solutions to meet Ukraine's financial needs for 2026-2027: borrowing from the EU and a reparation loan.

Earlier, the Belgian depository Euroclear, where most of the frozen assets of the Russian Federation are stored, stated that European governments would face higher debt costs if the EU used these funds to provide loans to Ukraine worth 140 billion euros.

Belgium, which holds most of Russia's frozen assets, has criticized the European Commission's plan. Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Commission's new proposal for a reparations loan for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets takes into account almost all of Belgium's concerns.