Hungary does not agree with the European Commission’s plans to allocate more money to Ukraine and does not want to contribute more money to finance increased EU debt servicing costs, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on state radio on Friday, Reuters reported.

Orban, speaking on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, said it was a “ridiculous” request from the Commission for Hungary to contribute more money, given that Hungary, like Poland, did not receive funds from the EU Recovery Fund due to a dispute with Brussels over the rule of law. .

The European Union will provide Ukraine with EUR 50 billion in aid for the period 2024-27, the bloc’s president said on June 20. This decision was taken after the review of the common EU budget for 2021-27, which was exhausted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis.

Inflation and high interest rates have also doubled debt servicing costs.

“We find it absolutely ridiculous and absurd”

“One thing is clear, we Hungarians… will not give more money to Ukraine until they tell us where the previous funds of about 70 billion euros went,” Orbán said.

“And we consider it absolutely ridiculous and absurd that we will have to contribute more money to cover the costs of servicing the debt for a loan that we have not yet received our due funds,” he added.

Hungary and Poland are the only EU members behind on recovery funds blocked by the European Commission amid accusations that the two countries’ nationalist governments are harming democracy and the rule of law.

Orbán said there was almost no chance that EU member states would approve these financial programs and a “long struggle” would begin.