In the USA, Hungary's Prime Minister is discussing an end to US aid to Ukraine with Republicans. Orbán is considered a close ally of Russia.
Washington, DC – Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán is calling for Western aid to Ukraine to be stopped. He now wants to hold the first concrete discussions in the US capital Washington, DC. Orbán wants to go into retreat with US Republicans for two days behind closed doors.
According to information from the, the goal is Guardianthe USA to end their military aid to Ukraine. The meeting will be attended by members of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs and staff from the Hungarian Embassy in Washington. The organizer is the conservative think tank “Heritage Foundation”.
US support for Ukraine is crumbling
This puts support for Ukraine in ever greater jeopardy. Last week, the White House warned that without congressional approval, funding for Kiev to purchase weapons and equipment would run out by the end of the year. On Wednesday (December 6), Senate Republicans blocked a bill to fund the war in Ukraine. “Orbán is confident that the Ukraine aid will not be passed in Congress. “That’s why he’s trying to block EU aid,” the newspaper quoted one of its sources as saying.
Orbán rejects EU accession talks with Ukraine
The right-wing populist head of government is considered a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Orbán's approach is also causing anger within the EU because he is currently in favor of joining the EU Ukraine rejects. The Hungarian leader posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: “It is clear that the European Commission’s proposal for EU-Ukraine’s accession is unfounded and poorly prepared.”
Orbán wrote in a letter to EU Council President Charles Michel that the expectations that the upcoming EU summit in Brussels could decide on the start of accession negotiations were unfounded. Orbán argues that the EU Commission's proposal to start accession negotiations is not compatible with a summit decision from June 2022. This states that a decision on further steps in the accession process should only be made when “all of these conditions have been fully met”.
Orbán wants blocked EU funding to be relaxed
It recently remained unclear whether Orbán only wanted to increase the pressure with the letter in order to obtain frozen EU funding for his country. Some EU diplomats believe this is conceivable, others point out that Orbán recently claimed that he would not give in on the Ukraine issue even after funds were released. The EU Commission is currently examining whether funds can be released to Hungary. The Brussels authority announced around a year ago that it would only do this once Orbán's right-wing nationalist government fully implemented promises to uphold the rule of law. Orbán believes that his country has met all the requirements.
Against Europe and what Europe stands for
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis expressed outrage on Monday about the blockade threats from Budapest. “The only way I can understand the Hungarian position (…) is that they are against Europe and everything Europe stands for,” he said. If the country gets its way, “dark times” could lie ahead for the EU. Estonia's Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, also expressed incomprehension: “I see no reason for a blockade,” he said. (erpe/dpa)
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