On October 11, the Belgian government officially confirmed that it will transfer 1.7 billion euros to Ukraine from frozen Russian assets. In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will also receive modern F-16 fighter jets.
Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo made this announcement during a joint briefing with the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky.
He publicly pledged that his country will continue to support Ukraine in three directions.
It’s important to understand that this primarily involves military assistance and economic sanctions.
Alexander De Croo emphasizes that the third direction is the establishment of a Ukraine Fund with a volume of 1.7 billion euros.
As the Prime Minister of Belgium explains, the source of this fund will be the billions in Russian assets frozen in his country.
“In Belgium, we have taxation of the income from these frozen assets. Last year, it was clear to us that 100% of the income tax from these assets should go to the benefit of the people of Ukraine. We did it last year, and this year, we will do it again through a fund of 1.7 billion euros. This fund will be used for the purchase of military equipment, humanitarian support, the European Peace Fund, macro-financial assistance, and more,” said Alexander De Croo.
Belgium will also supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets
According to Belgium’s Minister of Defense, Ludivine Dedonder, her country has decided to provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with several Belgian F-16 fighter jets.
Starting in 2025, Ukraine will receive several Belgian F-16s, depending on the growth of our new F-35 capabilities. She did not specify the exact number of aircraft.
Additionally, it is emphasized that Belgium will continue to train Ukrainian pilots and offer to take on the technical maintenance of the entire F-16 fleet of the so-called “aviation coalition.