The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, assured on Friday that the EU will find a solution to unblock the promised aid of 50 billion euros to Ukraine, despite the veto of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The upcoming meeting of EU heads of state and government, which will take place in early 2024, should unlock this aid. “Until then, we will make sure that, whatever happens, we have an operational solution at this summit,” von der Leyen said, according to News.ro.
On Friday, Viktor Orban demanded the payment of “all” European cohesion funds earmarked for Hungary, which have been suspended pending reforms, before considering lifting his veto on new aid to Ukraine.
Viktor Orbán, praised by the Kremlin, was quick to tell Hungarians on Friday that their money would not finance the war. Orbán, who has a long history of using conflicts with Brussels for domestic electoral purposes, may use his image as a lone warrior to attract voters at home, Reuters writes. But his isolation in the 27-member bloc was never more striking than when other leaders simply went ahead without him on Thursday, suggesting he leave the room while they decide on accession talks with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, Reuters also noted.
The rapid progress, seen as a major boost for Kyiv by its Western allies in the fight against Russian encroachment and which hours earlier appeared to have been halted by objections from the Hungarian leader, also showed the limits of Orbán’s power to sway EU decisions in his favor. However, the nationalist leader could still block future EU decisions on Ukraine’s accession path, budgetary issues and a new round of talks on Ukraine’s long-term aid next year.
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- The reaction of the Kremlin after the opening of negotiations on the accession of Moldova and Ukraine to the EU. Kudos to Hungary
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Source: Hot News
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