De Wever's statements have seriously affected his ruling coalition. In addition to the Flemish-nationalist party of the prime minister N-VA, it includes the Flemish socialist party Vooruit, the French-speaking liberal party Reform Movement (MR) and two centrist parties – Les Engagés (French-speaking) and CD&V (Flemish).
Opposition politicians reacted violently, some coalition parties distanced themselves from the proposal, noting that the purchase of Russian gas or the normalization of relations contradicts the position of the EU after the invasion of Ukraine, the publication writes.
Conner Rousseau, president of the Vooruit party, told Het Laatste Nieuws that “the prime minister can express his own opinion, but he has no right to speak on behalf of the government and say that everyone now suddenly wants to ask [нелегитимного президента России Владимира] Putin about cheap energy.”
Foreign Minister Maxime Prevost, a member of Les Engagés, noted in a commentary to VRT NWS that Belgium and Europe continue to support Ukraine in the struggle for independence. A diplomatic dialogue with Russia is needed, but normalization of relations is not yet possible due to Moscow’s refusal to compromise and maximalist demands.
He also noted the importance of EU unity, the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and maintain pressure on Russia together with the United States.
The CD&V party also supported this position, noting that further gas purchases from Russia “give Moscow money to continue the war in Ukraine,” Politico writes.
At the request of the publication, de Wever's government said that the prime minister's comments referred to an excerpt from a recently published book in French, Over Welvaart (“On Welfare”) and “concerned a hypothetical scenario after the conclusion of a peace agreement.”
Explaining his position, de Wever wrote on Facebook that Europe should more actively seek diplomatic solutions.
“It is surprising that the Europeans are funding the war but not sitting at the negotiating table. Let's not be naive, it is obvious that after the peace treaty has been adopted, relations should eventually be resumed. Or do we want another 100 years of hostility?” – noted the Belgian Prime Minister.
As Politico notes, the current Belgian government is facing difficulties due to disagreements between coalition parties, in particular regarding pension reform and Saudi Arabia's request for military assistance. In addition, disagreements within the Belgian government regarding the involvement of the military in the protection of Jewish sites caused additional tension, the media writes.
Context
In October 2025, the Prime Minister of Belgium secured a postponement of the EU decision on the “reparation loan” for Ukraine. Therefore, Politico compared him with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Slovakian Robert Fico and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, calling them “bad guys” who could become the main “bones in the throat” in the way of helping Ukraine. De Wever was indignant and, at the same time, noted that his country supports Ukraine every day, but frozen Russian assets will remain blocked.
In December, de Wever expressed doubts about the possibility of Russia's defeat in the war against Ukraine, calling the idea of its defeat a “fairy tale” and “undesirable”, while emphasizing that frozen Russian assets should not be confiscated until the war is over.
