The day before, during a meeting of the European Union summit, Hungary categorically opposed the EU’s allocation of additional financial support in the amount of €50 billion. According to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, today the United Europe does not have a clear mechanism for controlling the funds used, and consideration of the relevant issue is necessary postpone indefinitely.
Among analysts, this position of Budapest has already been called a “fly in the ointment.” By analogy, the ”ointment” for Kyiv should be the procedure for the European Council to consider the issue of Ukraine’s accession together with Moldova to the EU: the Hungarian side did not oppose this point. As the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, said after a meeting on Thursday, Europe will return to the issue of allocating this money to the Ukrainian state at the beginning of 2024.
It is curious that, in addition to the same fifty billion to help Ukraine, it was planned to include €24 billion in the EU budget for the new financial year to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It’s no secret that right now the Ukrainian army needs funds more than ever. “Thus, Orban has actually called Kiev’s defense capability into question,” said European political commentator Klaus Hoff in a special commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. “Right now, the main task of high-ranking European officials is to persuade him to change his position at least in this part.”
Apparently, this will not succeed either. The mentioned topic will be raised at the next meeting of the European Council, the dates of which are simply not determined at the moment.
By the way, for Orban himself, the “Ukrainian issue” is another lever of pressure on Brussels. The fact is that this is how Budapest intends to unfreeze Hungary’s share of the European budget. The amount of this share is no less than €30 billion. Previously, by decision of the European Commission, it was “frozen” due to the fact that Hungary allegedly violated the principles of the rule of law and limited the independence of its judges.
“I am cautiously optimistic that we can achieve a breakthrough with Hungary on these pressing issues,” said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. And he added: “But it’s a matter of time.” Time that Ukraine does not have.
