Hungary ready to lift veto on aid to Ukraine in return for billions of euros frozen by EU – Bloomberg

Representatives of Hungary said on Tuesday (December 12) that they are ready to cancel the veto on EU financing to Ukraine in exchange for billions of euros that the EU has withheld due to problems with democracy in Hungary. Bloomberg writes this, referring to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief political advisor.

As the agency emphasized, Balazs Orban, the namesake of the Hungarian Prime Minister, said that Hungary’s task is to receive approximately 30 billion euros from the EU. Moreover, in return, it offers Ukraine financing for only one year and without changes to the budget, not according to the full aid plan designed for four years.

“Balázs Orbán’s remarks show that Hungary wants a high price for its consent, and the rest of the bloc may have difficulty accepting this,” the agency notes.

Important

However, Bloomberg emphasizes that Budapest has raised the bar as the EU is expected to provide around 10 billion euros in funding by December 13 after the Hungarian government passed laws aimed at strengthening the independence of the court.

But Orbán said he wanted the EU to hand over the entire amount (about 30 billion euros) suspended last year for reasons of the rule of law and corruption. The publication notes that nearly two dozen other demands, ranging from ensuring academic freedom to protecting the rights of LGBTQ people and the rights of refugees, have gone unfulfilled.

According to Balazs Orbán, Bloomberg notes that Hungary would consider an EU proposal to increase border security funding (a persistent request from Budapest), as well as additional EU subsidies to make the bloc’s economy more competitive. And all this, as Balazs Orban said, is connected with the help of Ukraine.

“Ukraine’s EU membership remains a red line for Budapest. The EU needs to offer a strategic partnership as Hungary believes that Ukraine does not meet the criteria for EU membership,” he said.

He also added that the government has asked the EU to delay the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession so as not to send a negative signal to Kiev.

“Sending a negative signal to Ukraine is not what Hungary wants,” Balazs Orbán emphasized.

EU and Hungary: a history of conflict

The Hungarian government is delaying a four-year, €50 billion ($54 billion) support package for Kiev due to start in 2024, as part of a broader fight over the EU budget at the leaders’ meeting starting on Thursday, December 14.

At the same time, Balázs Orbán, Prime Minister Orbán’s political advisor, emphasized that EU financing for Hungary and financing for Ukraine are two separate issues.

“But if the EU insists that funding for Ukraine comes from the amended EU budget, then these two issues will become interconnected,” he warned.

Hungary has so far blocked all issues related to Ukraine, marring any chance of reaching an agreement at the summit. Prime Minister Orbán twice wrote to the president of the European Council, urging him to remove Ukraine’s membership negotiations from the summit agenda.

However, even after the invasion of Ukraine, Orban’s close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin has come under harsh criticism from the EU and NATO allies.

Let us also remind you that Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó, after his meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba, said that he did not change his opinion on the decisions regarding Ukraine at the EU summit.

Additionally, President Vladimir Zelensky met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the inauguration ceremony of the Argentine President on Sunday, December 10.

However, after these meetings, Orban called the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council and called for the issue of starting negotiations with Ukraine not to be brought up at the summit.