Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) has called for the EU to negotiate with Russia to bring an end to the war in Ukraine and for the "normalisation" of relations with Russia.
In an interview with L'Echo, De Wever, said: "The official line is that we'll continue until Russia is brought to its knees. This would only be realistic with 100% US support, but they're not at all on Ukraine's side. I sometimes think they're closer to Putin than to Zelensky.
"Since we can't threaten Putin by sending weapons to Ukraine and we can't strangle it economically without US support, there's only one option left: a deal. But without a mandate to negotiate in Moscow, we're not at the negotiating table where the Americans will push Ukraine to accept a deal. And I can already say that it will be a bad deal for us."
He added: "Europe is the only country still funding Ukraine, without being at the negotiating table. We can keep saying we're going to win this war, but that's not true in a military sense: in my opinion, there will be a freeze resulting in a military border, like between the two Koreas."
'European leaders tell me I'm right, but no one dares to say it out loud'
During the interview, De Wever said he advocates normalising relations with Moscow, in part to facilitate access to cheap oil and gas supplies.
"What's the point of prolonging this war without being able to achieve a clear and decisive victory? he asked L'Echo. "The Chinese are profiting by having access to cheap fossil fuels; the United States is making money by selling us the weapons supplied to Ukraine.
"We're losing on all fronts. We must end the conflict in Europe's interest. Without being naive about Putin. That's a mistake we must never repeat. We must rearm and remilitarise the border. And at the same time, we must normalise relations with Russia and regain access to cheap energy. It's common sense. In private, European leaders tell me I'm right, but no one dares to say it out loud."
'It's an unwelcome truth'
Responding to questions over Ukrainian sovereignty and interests, De Wever said: "We mustn't abandon Ukraine, which must remain a sovereign, democratic country, capable of defending itself, and which we must integrate into the European family. That's non-negotiable.
"The question is what we have to offer to convince Russia to accept this. Because we can't force them, even if they try to sell us that illusion. That would be the case if the West were unified, but it isn't, and Putin knows it."
He added: "It's complicated as long as it gives the impression that we're going to betray the Ukrainians… Because it's an unwelcome truth, you're immediately accused of being anti-Ukrainian, of being in Putin's pocket. And nobody wants to be labelled like that."
The interview with L'Echo was part of a series of interviews with the Belgian Francophone press to coincide with the release of the French language version of De Wever's latest book, Prosperité.
Late last year, De Wever came under significant political and diplomatic for his refusal to give the go-ahead to an EU plan to use €210 billion in frozen Russian state assets to finance Ukraine’s war with Russia.
