European Union countries will approve the decision to allocate €50 billion ($50 billion) to Ukraine, even in the face of a potential veto from Hungary, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, in an interview broadcast on national TV.
Kuleba said that the decision to allocate €50 billion to Ukraine to help it while Russia invades had been postponed until the beginning of 2024 not because of Hungary’s veto, but rather to give Budapest time to reach an agreement on joining the allocation of funds.
The foreign minister said that this was because “the EU does not want a situation where decisions are constantly made without one country.”
“There will be a decision that Ukraine will receive this money. The question remains: Will 27 countries do this together, all EU members including Hungary – and Hungary was given a month to hold additional negotiations – or will this money be allocated by 26 European Union countries without Hungary,” Kuleba said.
The issue regards the internal unity of the bloc. Now 26 countries are making every effort to preserve it, Kuleba said, but if this fails, “the money will still be allocated.”
The funds were proposed to be allocated to Ukraine last year for the period from 2024 to 2027 in the form of grants and loans.
To implement such an initiative, it will need approval from the leaders of all the EU member states. The issue was considered at the European Council summit. At that time the allocation of funds did not go through because of Hungary’s veto.
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Subsequently, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, promised to again submit this issue to the leaders for consideration in early 2024.
This will happen at a special summit to be held on Feb. 1.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban himself has acknowledged that the EU can allocate €50 billion for Ukraine without Budapest’s signing on.
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Comments ( 1)
As an EU member citizen (Italy) I feel it is past due for the EU to put in a mechanism to constrain any errant members whose policies put EU at risk. Right now this is Hungary. Orban is an obvious putin tool who like the USA's problem child 'trump', spews russian lies and supports putin's illegal expansionist ambitions. Putin's anointed spokespeople now openly state russia intends to expand into EU members borders if victorious in Ukraine. Best they are quickly stopped in Ukraine and permanently militarily neutered..
Given the threat posed to the EU's security, Orban must be immediately sidelined from all related decisions. His electorate for having empowered a leader set on undermining the EU should also feel the economic consequences of their choices.
I propose remaining EU transfers to Hungary be withheld until putins' spy there is removed. I propose that at the point transfers to Hungary can be safely reinstated, that in fairness to other members, these be decreased proportionate to what should have been Hungary's portion of past EU investments towards anything security related. Right now this includes the investments towards supporting Ukraine militarily and economically until at Russia withdraws from Ukraines' pre-2014 recognized legal borders.