Even Belgium’s foreign minister says Bart De Wever’s suggestion would give Putin ‘exactly what he wants’
Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, has been criticised for calling for the normalisation of relations with Russia to re-establish cheap energy supplies.
The Flemish nationalist leader’s judgement was questioned in Belgium and beyond after he said on Saturday that the EU needed to make a deal with Russia. “We are losing on all fronts, we must end the conflict in Europe’s interest,” he told the Belgian newspaper L’Echo.
De Wever said Europe had to rearm “and at the same time we must normalise relations with Russia and regain access to cheap energy. It is common sense. In private European leaders tell me I am right, but no one dares say it out loud.”
Bringing Russia to its knees would only be possible with “100% support from the United States,” he said, adding that Washington was sometimes closer to Vladimir Putin than Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
