Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday blocked a crucial 50 billion euros-worth package by the European Union (EU) to be given to war-torn Ukraine, hours after the bloc's leaders approved to open membership talks with Kyiv despite his opposition. EU leaders decided that they would resume the aid negotiations next year, reported the Guardian, after the US failed to reach a deal on assisting Ukraine.
The crunch summit in Brussels ended at 3 am (local time) on Friday as Orban, who maintains close relations with Russia, refused to green-light the funding to help Ukraine's government at a critical juncture in the war against Russia. "Summary of the nightshift: veto for the extra money to Ukraine, veto for the MFF review. We will come back to the issue next year in the #EUCO after proper preparation," Orban said on X.
Russia praised Orban's stance, which spokesman Dmitry Peskov said impressed Moscow, while criticising the EU, saying the decision to open membership talks was a politicised one that could destabilise the bloc.
Orban left the negotiating room in a "pre-agreed and constructive manner" while the other 26 members proceeded with the vote. Orban's decision dealt a major blow to Ukraine as it is critically dependent on funding from the EU and the United States as it continues to fight invading Russian forces.
What Orban said?
The Hungarian PM told media later that he fought for eight hours to stop his EU partners but could not convince them, BBC reported. He also said that Ukraine's path to EU membership would be a long process anyway and that the Hungarian Parliament could still stop the accession process.
“If we don’t want Ukraine to be a member of the European Union, then the Hungarian parliament votes it down. And until the issue gets to the parliaments, it’s a very, very long process, and as they counted and I did, there are about 75 occasions when the Hungarian government can stop this process,” he said.
Orban has long opposed Ukraine's membership in the EU but has not vetoed the move. He abstained from the vote on accession talks for Ukraine after leaders insisted his veto would have a devastating impact on morale in Ukraine and test the EU's credibility.
The EU leaders ended talks on the financial package, which requires unanimity, in the early hours of Friday and said they would try again in January, voicing optimism a deal could be clinched then. "I am confident the 26 members want this. We have been united so far and we were able to deliver the decision on the accession talks yesterday," said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
"The message to Ukraine is: we will be there to support you, we just need to figure out a few of the details together," Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said. Although Ukraine's membership will require several years, the approval of membership talks takes Kyiv one step closer to the West.
Orban's opposition to Ukraine's EU membership
Admitting a new country requires unanimous approval from all existing member countries, giving Orbán a powerful veto. The Hungarian PM has argued that negotiations should not begin with a country that is at war, and that Ukraine's membership would reorient the EU's system of distributing funds to member countries.
In September, he told the Hungarian parliament that his government would “not support Ukraine on any international issue” until the language rights of the minority are restored. While he has admitted Ukrainian refugees and condemned Russia's invasion, it has maintained close relations with Moscow and argued against supplying arms to Ukraine or providing it with economic assistance, which is unique among EU member countries.
Some critics have speculated that Hungary is using its resistance to leverage concessions concerning billions in funding that the EU has withheld from Budapest over concerns that the government has failed to uphold rule-of-law and human rights standards.
US Congress departs without deal on Ukraine aid
On the previous day, the US Congress departed without a deal to pass wartime support for Ukraine, but Senate negotiators and President Joe Biden's administration were still racing to wrap up a border security compromise to unlock the stalemate before the end of the year.
The Senate planned to come back next week in hopes of passing the USD 110 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and other national security and finalising a deal to place new restrictions on asylum claims at the US border. However, the House showed no sign of returning to push the legislation through the full Congress.
Biden is facing stiff opposition from Republicans in Congress — both from populist conservatives who no longer want to fund the nearly two-year-old conflict and GOP senators who have been traditional allies to Ukraine's defense but insist that the US also enact policies aimed at cutting the historic number of migrants who are arriving at the US border with Mexico.
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