Zelensky arrives in Belgium, prepares to meet Prime Minister De Wever

Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium — President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Belgium on Oct. 15, where he plans to meet Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to discuss finances before taking part in an EU leaders' summit.

"All of us in Europe want this war to end. And for that to happen, strong signals are needed — more real pressure on Russia and more defense support for Ukraine," Zelensky wrote on social media upon arrival.

The social media post mentions a meeting with the Belgian prime minister, plans for which the Flemish newspaper De Morgen first reported on Oct. 13.

That meeting was likewise confirmed by a Ukrainian diplomat, who told the Kyiv Independent it is expected to take place at 8 p.m. local time.

On top of the agenda for Zelensky is building consensus for the use of some 200 billion euros ($227 billion) of Russian assets immobilized in Europe, the lion's share of which is held in Belgium's Euroclear.

Ukraine upped its advocacy efforts this week to try and get EU countries to back the idea, previously shot down in December, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha publishing an opinion piece with Politico — the news outlet that claimed in December 2025 that De Wever was "Russia's most valuable asset," which provoked a strong response from the Belgian leader.

The topic is expected to come up during the ongoing European Council summit, but with no definitive conclusion this time, no matter how positively a De Wever-Zelensky meeting might go.

Zelensky will attend the summit only on the morning of Oct. 16 and, on the sidelines, is expected to meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar.

The Magyar meeting is significant as the first bilateral between the two leaders and comes days after Ukraine adopted a long-awaited law to bolster the rights of Ukraine's Hungarian-speaking minority, which was also required to advance its EU membership bid.