Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the main obstacle in the path of the European Union’s 50 billion euro aid package to Kiev’s budget over the next four years. Pressure from European Union leaders to change Orbán’s mind before the February 1 summit could begin to bear fruit, Politico writes.
According to Politico, Budapest has signaled that it may give up its veto if the European Council unanimously approves the funding each year, three EU diplomats said. In practice, this would give Orbán the opportunity to block EU aid to Ukraine every year, i.e. to obtain concessions from Brussels in exchange for giving up the veto.
Hungary made this proposal on Friday at a meeting of the European Union’s 27 budget experts and in a written document sent to the president of the Supreme Council of Belgium. Under the plan, the European Union will give Ukraine 12.5 billion euros in grants and loans each year, a diplomat familiar with the matter said.
While this is not the first time Hungary has proposed this idea, it is still a significant improvement compared to the previous time when Orbán opposed any support for Ukraine from the EU budget. However, several European Union diplomats remain skeptical, stressing that deciding every year does not give Ukraine certainty about the future.
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2024-01-09 12:59:48
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