Hungary blocks $54 billion EU funding for Ukraine

Europe, News December 16, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked the European Union’s crucial military aid package for Ukraine hours after EU leaders agreed to open membership talks for Kyiv. Orban was the only EU leader to veto a resolution seeking to approve $54 billion in funding for Ukraine.

Leaders of 27 European Union states gathered in Brussels on December 15, 2023, to discuss the prospects of Ukraine’s membership into the bloc and to approve funding in financial support for Ukraine. While 26 member states agreed to provide more than $54 billion in funding to Ukraine over the next four years, Hungarian leaders refused to greenlight the resolution.

Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, said that all but one of the EU’s 27 countries backed the package of financial support for Ukraine. “One leader couldn’t agree on this,” Michel said at a late night 3 a.m. news conference at the end of the meeting, referring to Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary. He said leaders would reconvene early next month to try to reach a unanimous agreement, which is required for the plan to go through.

“Summary of the nightshift: veto for the extra money to Ukraine,” Orban, one of the closest allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the EU, wrote on his social media account. EU leaders postponed their next meeting on the budget until January, after seven hours of discussion.

Several European Union leaders left the meeting urging for another summit on the same topic shortly. “We still have some time, Ukraine is not out of money in the next few weeks,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters as he stressed that another summit should be arranged soon.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy European Council meeting — *^{President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressing the participants of the European Council. (Image Credit: Presidential Office of Ukraine)}*

“We agreed with the 26 countries. Victor Orban, Hungary, was not yet able to do that. I am confident we can get a deal early next year. We are thinking of late January,” he added.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo stressed that the financial support was vital. “It is just as important that Ukraine has the means to continue the war and rebuild its country,” he said.

Orban had been indicating for weeks to block Kyiv’s request to join the European Union and funding. His decision comes as a blow to the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been trying to gather financial support with marginal success. Zelenskyy traveled to Washington last week to persuade U.S. lawmakers to approve more funding for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy also came face to face with Orban in Argentina last week, where both leaders were present to attend the swearing-in for Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei. Zelenskyy was seen having an informal discussion with Orban at the sidelines of the ceremony.

“I asked him to tell me one reason, not three, five, 10, tell me one reason,” as for why Kyiv should not be a part of the European Union, Zelenskyy said about Orban at a press conference in Oslo following his trip to Argentina. “I am still waiting for (an) answer.”