BRUSSELS – European Union leaders hit a wall late Thursday, failing to hammer out an agreement on bolstering Ukraine with fresh aid or ramping up defense commitments. The high-stakes summit, meant to signal unity, instead laid bare deep fractures among member states, with economic caution and geopolitical bravado locked in a tense standoff.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever threw cold water on the idea of raiding $227 billion in frozen Russian assets to bankroll Kyiv’s fight. “Those pushing to grab this cash need to wake up to the fallout,” he warned, pointing to the risk of a global financial tremor. His words underscore a growing unease: what happens when you rattle the cage of market trust?

On one side, a bloc of nations clamors to redirect Moscow’s immobilized funds into Ukraine’s war chest. On the other, heavyweights like Germany and France are sounding the alarm over legal quicksand and economic blowback. Hungary, meanwhile, threw a wrench in the works, reportedly stonewalling a joint EU stance on Ukraine—further proof the bloc’s seams are splitting.

The deadlock comes as Europe grapples with a broader reality check. The recent sell-off of European bonds, sparking a sharp spike in yields, could possibly be cooling the war fever of the continent’s globalist hawks neocons. Seizing Russian assets as loan collateral could be the final straw, shredding confidence in the rules that keep markets steady. For now, the EU’s grand plans remain just that—plans, stalled by cold, hard pragmatism.