Norway Refuses to be Guarantor of EU's "Reparations Loan" to Ukraine

Norwegian Finance Minister and former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Norway has refused to act as a guarantor for the European Union's (EU) "reparations loan" to Ukraine. This was reported by TASS, citing the NRK television channel.

"There were proposals that Norway should guarantee the entire amount [of the loan]. This is not the case. But now we have to decide whether we can contribute, depending on what the EU offers," he said in an interview with the channel. Stoltenberg noted that Norway must guarantee coverage for potential risks totaling 1.6 trillion Norwegian kroner (approximately $158.8 billion).

According to the TV channel, the loan to Ukraine is expected to be "provided using frozen Russian funds." However, a final decision has not yet been made.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever blocked the European Commission's project to expropriate Russian assets at the EU summit on October 23, forcing EU countries to postpone the decision until December. De Wever explicitly stated his fear of Russian retaliation, demanding written financial guarantees from EU countries for compensation for Belgium's losses.

Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Belgium Denis Gonchar stated in an interview with TASS that attempts to expropriate Russian assets under any scheme would be considered theft. He warned that Russia's retaliatory actions "will follow immediately" and will force the West to "count its losses."