EU expects Hungary to unblock military aid tranche for Ukraine

The European Union is counting on Hungary to unblock the eighth tranche of military aid for Ukraine within the framework of the so-called European Peace Facility, and hopes it will be able to transfer this money to Ukraine "sooner rather than later".

Source: A representative of the European Union in Brussels before the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the EU on Foreign Affairs, which will be held next Monday in Luxembourg, as reported by Ukrinform.

Quote: "We are still discussing this issue with Hungary and Ukraine. Ukraine removed OTR Bank from the list of institutions cooperating with Russia. But there are still some current problems that continue to exist and the relevant EU services, in particular, the European External Action Service, are fully involved in these discussions between Kyiv and Budapest. So we expect that sooner rather than later, we will be able to have an agreement and make another tranche from the European Peace Fund," the EU representative said.

At the same time, he refrained from commenting on the meeting between Russian President Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán in Beijing, referring to the fact that heads of state have the sovereign right to meet with whomever they deem necessary. At the same time, he said that the EU does not change its common and defined position regarding the person of Putin, and supports the arrest warrant issued against the President of the Russian Federation by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Background:

• At the beginning of October, Ukraine removed the Hungarian OTP Bank from the list of "war sponsors", satisfying one of the key demands of Budapest, namely of Hungary not participating in further EU financing for the transfer of weapons to Ukraine until the financial institution is removed from the list.
• The status of an international war sponsor was suspended for OTP Bank, as well as five Greek carriers, which Kyiv accused of illegally transporting Russian oil to circumvent the price ceiling.
• Hungary calls Ukraine's exclusion of OTP Bank from the list of international war sponsors a correct step, but simultaneously wants guarantees that it will not be returned to this list in the future.

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