Prime Minister Bart De Wever and three senior members of the Belgian Government are arriving in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, on Tuesday morning.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever will be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Prévot and Defence Minister Theo Francken. This visit marks the first such trip for the new federal team and aims to demonstrate Belgium’s support for Ukraine, three years after Russia launched its large-scale invasion.
High-level contacts have already taken place between the two countries since the establishment of the new majority. The Foreign Affairs and Defence ministers met their counterparts in Brussels, while the Prime Minister received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at 16 Rue de la Loi on 6 March.
The three ministers will hold talks with President Zelenskyy. They will also visit Bucha to pay tribute to the victims of the massacre committed by the Russian army at the beginning of the war, laying a wreath at the Wall of the Fallen for Ukraine in the city centre.
Industrialist visit
This mission, invited by the Ukrainian side, includes a significant military component. Around ten representatives from Belgian defence industries are part of the trip and will meet with Ukrainian business leaders.
In January 2024, Belgian industrialists, accompanied by a member of the general staff, had already travelled to Kyiv to sign a defence cooperation memorandum.
Ukraine is seeking more support from its allies in this field, not only through direct equipment deliveries but also via partnerships with European companies. Over the past three years, it has built a substantial production capacity.
Minister of Defence Theo Francken and Prime Minister Bart De Wever visit the war memorial site in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, during a diplomatic visit to Ukraine on Tuesday 08 April 2025. Credit: Belga / Justin Yau
Last January, during a visit to the Chamber, Ukrainian deputies urged Belgium to join the already initiated efforts by the US, Canada, and Denmark to directly fund military production in Ukraine’s factories, including drones, missiles, mortar shells, and air defence systems.
Military aid to Ukraine under the previous legislative period reached €1.21 billion. The previous government used various funding sources, including corporate tax revenues from frozen Russian assets at Euroclear. The new executive has committed to continuing this policy, expecting a further €1.2 billion this year.
Last month, the new Defence Minister announced that on 6 March, they had submitted a "concrete proposal" to Kyiv, worth €1 billion, covering the purchase of shells, anti-aircraft defence, and the delivery of F-16s. This agreement, part of a security arrangement last year, is set to commence at the end of 2025 when Belgium receives its first F-35s.
The mission also includes a civil component. Maxime Prévot will visit an air-raid shelter built in a Kyiv school with support from the Belgian cooperation agency Enabel. Ukrainian schools require such facilities to continue classes during alerts. The Foreign Affairs Minister will also meet families and associations, including the PANDA centre for protecting children who are victims of sexual violence.
On the Ukrainian side, it is likely that the issue of frozen Russian assets will again be discussed. Western countries, particularly Belgium, have so far refused to confiscate these assets. However, Kyiv fears that a Hungarian blockade could jeopardise the renewal of European sanctions, potentially allowing Moscow to recover some €200 billion in frozen assets to fund its war.
On Monday, the VRT cited Deputy Justice Minister Iryna Mudra, reporting that Ukraine is advocating for these amounts to be placed in a separate fund.
