EU considers tough measures against Hungary for blocking aid to Ukraine – Bloomberg

EU leaders are ready to take a tough stance against Hungary if Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to block a €50 billion aid package for Ukraine at their summit on 1 February.

Source: Bloomberg with reference to its sources, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Bloomberg noted that on Monday, Hungary opposed an EU proposal to create a new fund to provide a more reliable way to deliver critical military aid to Ukraine.

The proposal came after Orban vetoed a four-year financial package for Ukraine in mid-December.

Bloomberg’s sources stated that EU member states are ready to approve the aid package for Ukraine at the summit in Brussels on 1 February, regardless of whether Hungary supports it.

If Orban continues to block the support package, the remaining 26 EU countries will decide to approve it, and preparations for such a scenario are already in full swing.

A possible fallback is for the rest of the EU to provide money to Ukraine outside the EU budget process.

The sources stressed that if Orban decides to go this route, the EU could launch the next stage of punitive measures against Hungary, which could lead to the deprivation of its voting rights as a member state.

At the same time, Bloomberg noted that such a scenario could lead to a wider confrontation, as Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has previously declared that he will defend Hungary against steps aimed at depriving it of its voting rights in the EU.

Following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in a video message posted on Facebook that his country does not support a revision of the current funding mechanism known as the European Peace Facility, under which member states are compensated for weapons they send to Ukraine.

Szijjártó said that the issue of funding would be discussed during his meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, on 29 January. Budapest will consider lifting the blockade if Ukraine provides "guarantees" that Hungarian companies will not be added to the list of sponsors of international war.

Hungary has previously stated that it could lift its veto on the aid package, provided that the funding is reviewed annually. And, according to media reports, the European Commission is ready to accept some of Budapest's demands.

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