politics
March 16, 2026
Belgian PM condemned over call to repair relations with Russia to ease energy costs
Even Belgium’s foreign minister says Bart De Wever’s suggestion would give Putin ‘exactly what he wants’
TL;DR
- Bart De Wever, Belgium's prime minister, suggested normalizing relations with Russia for cheap energy.
- His comments were criticized by Belgium's foreign minister, Maxime Prévot, and Lithuania's foreign minister, Kęstutis Budrys.
- Prévot stated that speaking of normalization would be perceived as weakness and give Putin what he wants.
- Budrys recalled Russia's pre-invasion demands and stressed the need for European unity and strength.
- De Wever previously blocked the EU's use of frozen Russian assets, citing legal risks for Belgium.
- The EU aims to phase out Russian gas and oil imports by November 2027, viewing past dependence as a vulnerability.
- EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen warned against repeating past energy dependency from Russia.
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