The Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday in order to show Belgium’s support to Ukraine when its full-scale invasion by Russia enters a new stage. It was reported that this is Prévot’s fourth visit to Ukraine. In Kyiv, he met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, visited some parts of the city and laid flowers at the Wall of Remembrance, which commemorates Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war.
Why did Maxime Prévot visit Kyiv?
Prévot travelled to Kyiv to reaffirm Belgium’s political, military and humanitarian backing for Ukraine and to discuss support for the country’s recovery and resilience.
The Belgian foreign minister said continued Russian attacks on civilians must not become normalised. “Every day, civilians are still being killed by Russian missiles and drones. We cannot get used to this war,” Prévot said.
His visit came as Ukraine continued to face Russian missile and drone attacks targeting civilian areas, energy facilities and critical infrastructure. Belgium’s message was that military support, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts must continue simultaneously.
Prévot also stressed that any future peace agreement must include Ukraine and Europe. “A lasting peace cannot be decided over the heads of Ukrainians. It must be acceptable to those defending their country and who have been paying the price of this war for years,” he said.
The Belgian foreign minister added that Europe must be represented in any negotiations because the war has direct consequences for the continent’s security and future political order.
What new support did Belgium announce?
As part of his visit to Kyiv, Prévot outlined some new initiatives by Belgium that will target the health sector, veterans, investments, and reconstruction. Some media reports indicated that these were geared towards increasing Ukraine’s capacity amid ongoing warfare. The initiatives cover such areas as hospitals, health services, war veterans’ rehabilitation, vocational training, investments in Ukrainian businesses, and energy sector.
Prévot said reconstruction should not be postponed until the fighting ends.
“Reconstruction cannot wait until the day after peace is established; it begins right now,”
he said.
The exact value of the newly announced measures was not immediately specified in the reports. They are expected to supplement Belgium’s wider aid programmes for Ukraine rather than replace existing military and humanitarian commitments.
How much aid has Belgium provided?
According to the Foreign Affairs ministry of Belgium, Belgium had committed around €4.488 billion worth of aid in the form of bilateral aid to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion of Russia from February 2022. This is made up of military aid, humanitarian aid, and civilian and reconstruction programs. This aid includes a commitment for military aid of a minimum of €1 billion per year as part of the current legislative period.
Belgium’s support for Ukraine includes:
- Military equipment, ammunition and air-defence assistance.
- Training for Ukrainian soldiers, pilots and technical personnel.
- Humanitarian aid and emergency assistance.
- Energy equipment and generators.
- Healthcare and rehabilitation programmes.
- Mine-clearance and civil-defence support.
- Investment and reconstruction financing.
The country has allocated €150 million between 2025 and 2028 under its BE-Relieve programme to invest in energy provision, healthcare, education, and vocational training. This programme aims at fulfilling the immediate wartime needs while equipping Ukraine for the next stage of rebuilding. Some of the aspects the programme has been involved in include generators for schools, kindergartens, hospitals, and other key facilities.
This includes also heating systems and energy resilience measures. Other aspects include medical training, hospital support, education, and job creation associated with reconstruction. In addition, Belgian investment company BIO has allocated €18 million for resilient Ukrainian businesses in various fields.
What is Belgium’s position on F-16 fighter jets?
Belgium has pledged to deliver to Ukraine up to 30 F-16 aircraft by 2028, as per the 10-year security cooperation and extended support agreement entered into with Ukraine in May 2024. The aircraft delivery has experienced delays since Belgium first has to obtain replacement F-35 aircraft before being able to release more of its F-16s. Reports published in 2026 show that the operational F-16 aircraft had still not been delivered, despite previous statements from the Belgians that their commitment was still valid.
Other forms of assistance provided by Belgium include air defence systems, artillery ammunition, drones, minesweeping equipment, and training. In addition to bilateral assistance, Belgium has also joined coalitions in support of the defence capacity of Ukraine. Belgium has pledged another €100 million in 2025 through NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, that helps Ukraine get vital military equipment.
What did Ukraine say about frozen Russian assets?
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha used the meeting to renew Kyiv’s call for a stronger European approach to immobilised Russian assets.
“The time has come to actively return to the topic of frozen assets and discuss clear legal mechanisms on how they can be used for Ukraine,”
Sybiha said.
Ukraine is seeking the transfer of frozen assets owned by Russia to finance their defense, economy, and reconstruction efforts. As per Sybiha, this problem needed a collective effort from all Europeans, along with proper legislation. It is of high significance for Belgium because a huge amount of frozen assets of Russian Central Bank is kept with Euroclear, which is a financial service organization based out of Brussels. Belgium, alongside other European nations, has shown interest in utilizing the windfalls arising from these assets, but directly confiscating the principal is still legally and politically controversial.
When did Prévot visit Ukraine before?
The visit to Kyiv occurred after a number of other Belgian and Benelux interventions in support of Ukraine. In April 2025, Prévot made a visit to Kyiv alongside Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and the country’s Defence Minister Theo Francken. At this time, the main agenda of the visit was Belgium’s ongoing military aid and its readiness to offer up to €1 billion each year of support within the term of the government.
On 26 August 2025, Prévot visited Odesa in company of Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel along with other representatives from Benelux. The purpose of this visit was a reinforcement of Belgium’s support to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and to its aspirations to become a part of both the European Union and NATO. Moreover, this visit to Odesa was also seen as an expression of European solidarity with a Ukrainian port that was attacked by Russia numerous times. Thus, according to Prévot, the future of Ukraine was directly related to the security of Europe.
What similar visits happened before?
The leaders of Europe and foreign ministers have made several visits to Kyiv to show solidarity at key stages of the war. In April 2022, the leaders of Europe made trips to Kyiv and regions surrounding the capital city following the withdrawal of Russian forces from northern Ukraine. These visits came immediately after the alleged atrocities in Bucha and other towns. In February 2023, the leaders of Europe went to Kyiv one year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine to show Ukraine that support from the West will continue.
