Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday vetoed an aid package from the European Union to Kyiv and threatened to block Ukraine’s accession even after EU leaders authorized the commencement of protracted membership negotiations.
Reuters reports that at a summit on Thursday, the leaders of all 27 EU members, excluding Hungary, decided to begin accession negotiations with Ukraine in spite of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, eschewing Orban’s complaints by forcing him to leave the room.
However, they were unable to overcome Orban’s opposition to a reorganization of the EU budget that would have directed 50 billion euros ($55 billion) to Ukraine and freed up additional funds for other initiatives like managing migration.
Leaders of the EU promised to support Kiev going forward. They stated that they would find alternatives, possibly with bilateral aid, if a deal could not be reached to accomplish this within the EU budget.
Although Orban, who is still very close to Russia, took a strong stance, the Kremlin claimed that the EU’s decision to begin accession negotiations with Kyiv was politicized and could cause the bloc to become unstable.
The aid package is part of a larger multi-year EU budget plan. Orban told state radio he had blocked it to ensure Budapest gets funds from the EU budget that are frozen over concerns about the rule of law in Hungary.
Orban has a history of trying to use disagreements with other EU leaders for his electoral benefit.
Hungary has a fantastic chance to demonstrate that it must receive what is rightfully entitled to. Not even half, not even a quarter,” he declared.
After Budapest passed laws addressing some of the EU’s concerns, the European Commission, the EU executive, restored Hungary’s access to 10.2 billion euros of frozen funds on Wednesday. Nevertheless, billions of euros’ worth of funds are still frozen.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, celebrated the approval of membership talks as a triumph for both Europe and his country.
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As Russia continues its war in Ukraine, Kyiv is dependent on outside help, and U.S. President Joe Biden has not been able to get a $60 billion package for Kyiv through Congress thus far.
Gitanas Nauseda, the president of Lithuania, stated that while he was “proud to be European,” the decision to begin accession talks was “just the first page of a very long, long process.”
‘BAD DECISION’?
Orban stated that Hungary could halt the negotiations at any moment.
“This is a poor choice,” he declared. “This process can be stopped later, and the brakes can be applied if necessary.”
Early on Friday, the leaders of the EU concluded their negotiations over the financial package. Everyone agreed to give Ukraine 50 billion euros over four years, with the exception of Orban, whose veto prevented the money because the decision needed to be approved by all parties.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas stated, “I can assure you, Ukraine will not be left without support; there are different ways to do this.” She hinted that a resolution might be reached by January, when an extraordinary summit was scheduled.
While the optimal legal structure for aid outside of the EU budget is still being worked out, the European Commission could oversee the acquisition of funds pledged in the agreement and transfer them to Kyiv.
If the funds were given in the form of loans, the governments of the EU would most likely have to guarantee the portion of the borrowing they did, which would be a more time-consuming and expensive procedure that might need to be repeated every year when new national budgets are approved.
Although it is unlikely that Ukraine will join the EU for many years, the decision made at the Brussels summit moved the country one step closer to its long-term strategic objective of breaking free from Russia’s sphere of influence.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz played a big role in getting Orban to leave the room to clear the way for a decision, diplomats and officials said.
EU leaders reconvened on Friday to discuss other topics including the Israel-Hamas war.
Crediblenews.ng
