Hungary refuses to provide Ukraine €50 billion in EU funds
Germany has rejected €50 billion ($55 billion; £43 billion) in EU funding for Ukraine, only hours after a deal to begin membership negotiations was struck. Following Thursday's negotiations in Brussels, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated, "Summary of the nightshift: veto for the extra money to Ukraine."
Heads of the European Union said that talks on aid will go back up early in 2019. Ukraine's ability to combat Russian soldiers under occupation is heavily reliant on financial support from the US and EU.
Shortly after the EU leaders voted to offer candidate status to Georgia and to launch membership discussions with Ukraine and Moldova, Mr. Orban announced the blocking of funds. Despite having strong links to Russia, Hungary has long opposed Ukraine's membership, yet it did not reject that decision. In a prearranged and productive manner, according to authorities, Mr. Orban briefly exited the negotiation room as the other 26 leaders carried out the vote.
The decision was unanimous, according to a representative for European Council President Charles Michel. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, praised the EU's decision to begin membership discussions as a "victory". Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte responded to Mr. Orban's rejection of the help by saying, "We still have some time, Ukraine is not out of money in the next few weeks."
"We concurred with the 26 nations," he continued. "Hungary, under Victor Orban, was not yet able to achieve that. I think we can close a transaction by the beginning of next year. We are considering the end of January." During a press conference in the wee hours of Friday, Mr. Michel verified that all EU leaders had reached a consensus on the assistance package and the bloc's broader budget measures, except Sweden, which still needed to consult its parliament.
"We will revert to this matter early next year and we'll try to get unanimity," he stated. Along with urgently requesting the ratification of a $61 billion US defense aid package, Ukraine is also facing significant delays in that decision due to significant differences between Republican and Democratic senators. At the beginning of winter, Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia's occupying forces came to a standstill, raising concerns that Russia may outgun Ukraine. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both neighboring Moldova and Ukraine submitted applications to join the EU. In June of last year, they were both granted candidacy status; Georgia was not considered at that time.
The announcement of the EU's entry thrilled Mr. Zelensky. "This is Ukraine's triumph. The triumph of all of Europe. A triumph that bolsters encourages, and inspires," he said in a post on X.
According to Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova, it is an honor to accompany Ukraine on its journey to EU membership. "We wouldn't be here today without Ukraine's brave resistance against Russia's brutal invasion," she said in a letter. Moldova said earlier this year that Russia was attempting to take over in Chisinau. The EU's "historic" decision to begin accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova was hailed by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan as a "crucial step toward fulfilling their Euro-Atlantic aspirations".
Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, congratulated other leaders for demonstrating a "strong sign of support" and said that it was obvious that Moldova and Ukraine were part of "the European family". According to a diplomat present at the conference, Mr. Scholz suggested that Mr. Orban leave the room so that the voting could proceed. Later, in a Facebook video message, the Hungarian leader broke from his colleagues, saying, "EU membership of Ukraine is a bad decision." Hungary does not wish to take part in this misguided choice."
Additionally, Mr. Orban has maintained that as Ukraine is not a member of the EU, it should not get significant financial aid from the organization. President Vladimir Putin made fun of Ukraine earlier on Thursday and stated that Western assistance was running low: "Pardon my vulgarity, but everything is being brought in for free." However, such benefits can eventually expire."
