Hungary may approve the European Union (EU) aid plan for Ukraine and lift its veto on the project if the vote on it is reviewed annually. The newspaper reported this condition on January 9 Politico, referring to unnamed diplomats who sent a corresponding document to the Belgian Presidency of the European Council.
The publication notes that EU leaders are trying to put pressure on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to note Hungary's veto of aid to Ukraine before the EU summit on February 1.
“Budapest can lift the veto on the condition that the European Council reconsiders aid to Ukraine every year. In practice, this would give Orban the opportunity to block EU funding for Ukraine every year – or receive concessions from Brussels for refusing his veto,” the publication states.
However, European diplomats from other countries do not agree to agree to such conditions. As one of them noted in a conversation with the media, “the seven-year EU budget is a multi-year structure, and we cannot agree on it from year to year.”
The EU plan provides for the allocation of €12.5 billion to Kyiv on an annual basis in the form of grants and loans. Over four years, the total amount will be €50 billion.
Earlier, on December 28, the German government stated that the necessary assistance to Ukraine could be provided by the European Union without the participation of Hungary. German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner noted that if Hungary continues to oppose such a decision, it will be necessary to provide financial support bypassing the EU budget process.
Before this, on December 21, Orban admitted that the EU would most likely find a mechanism to support Ukraine bypassing Budapest’s veto on the allocation of €50 billion in aid. At the same time, it was reported that Budapest was inviting the European Union to refrain from aid to Ukraine for the next five years. In an interview with Orban, published on the website of the Hungarian government, he pointed out that he simply does not have the €50 billion that the EU is going to transfer to Kyiv.
On December 14–15, a meeting was held in Brussels on Ukraine’s membership in the EU and assistance to it. At it, Hungary blocked the allocation of €50 billion to Kyiv. At the same summit, the EU approved negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on joining the union. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban did not participate in this decision, leaving the meeting room during the discussion. As Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Peter Szijjártó later noted, the decision to negotiate with Ukraine is “completely irrational.”
Western countries increased military and financial support for Ukraine with the start of a special operation to protect Donbass, which Russia announced on February 24, 2022. The decision to hold it was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of an aggravation of the situation in the region due to the aggression of Ukrainian troops.
#Politico #named #Hungary39s #condition #refusing #veto #aid #Ukraine
