Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist N-VA) says that the European Union must negotiate with Russian President Vladmimir Putin to bring the war in Ukraine to an end and normalise relations with the Russian Federation. The premier was speaking with the Francophone financial paper L'Echo. According to De Wever, Europe will not succeed in bringing Russia to its knees, neither militarily nor through economic sanctions. ‘What is the point of continuing the war if there is no clear victory in sight?’
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Belgian Premier Bart De Wever calls for negotiations with the Russian Federation to end Ukraine war
Colin Clapson
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De Wever appeared on many breakfast tables in Francophone Belgium at the weekend featuring on the front page of virtually every Francophone newspaper. The Prime Minister is waging a media offensive to promote his new book ‘Over welvaart’ (On Prosperity). In a series of interviews, he shares his views on the federal government’s austerity measures, as well as on the war between Ukraine and Russia.
De Wever is clear on that war. “What is the point of continuing the war if there is no clear victory in sight?” he asks. The answer is already contained in the question.
‘The official line is that we will keep going until Russia is brought to its knees. But that is only realistic if you have the full support of the United States, and they are not at all in favour of Ukraine. Sometimes I think they are closer to Putin than to Zelensky, the Ukrainian president.’
‘We are not in a position to threaten Putin by sending weapons to Ukraine. Nor can we strangle him economically without US help.’
Last week, the Americans eased sanctions against Russia. Countries are now allowed to buy Russian oil again, provided that the oil is already on tankers. In this way, the US hopes to curb the rise in oil prices caused by the war in Iran.
‘So there is only one option left: to strike a deal,’ concludes De Wever.
A border like that between North and South Korea
However, as long as the EU sticks to the line that there can be no negotiations with Russia, Europe will not get a seat at the negotiating table alongside the Russians, the Ukrainians and the Americans. ‘And I can already say that in that case it will be a bad deal for us.’
Europe is already losing out on all fronts, warns De Wever, whilst the US and China are benefiting from the situation. The US can sell weapons that are channelled to the Ukrainian army. And that other superpower, China, is getting cheaper oil and gas from the Russians now that the West is no longer buying those fuels.
That is why the EU must normalise relations with Russia, the Prime Minister believes. ‘That way, we will regain access to cheap energy. That is common sense.’
How should such a truce be implemented on the ground? As a hard, fortified border, like the one between North and South Korea, De Wever believes. ‘We must not be naive about Putin. We must never make that mistake again.’
Europe must not abandon Ukraine either: it must remain a sovereign country and ‘be welcomed into the European family’, De Wever believes. ‘That is non-negotiable.’ Though he immediately adds that Putin cannot currently be forced to do anything, because he sees that the West is not united.
According to De Wever, European leaders agree with him in private, but do not dare to say so out loud.
‘You give the impression that you are betraying the Ukrainians, but it is an uncomfortable truth. Yet people immediately accuse you of being in Putin’s pocket. And nobody wants to be pigeonholed like that.’