Leaders of European Union member states are gathering in Brussels on Thursday for a summit with huge stakes for Ukraine: funds worth tens of billions of euros, currently blocked by Hungary’s opposition to Viktor Orbán, Reuters reports.

The summit comes at a crucial moment in Ukraine’s war against Russian aggression, after Kyiv’s summer offensive failed and in the United States, Republicans in Congress rejected a White House plan to provide $106 billion in new aid to Ukraine and Israel, $60 billion of which went to Kyiv.

Instead, the European Commission prepared a multi-year aid package worth 50 billion euros, but it was blocked by Hungary’s veto.

Another important topic on the discussion agenda is the start of negotiations with Ukraine on joining the EU, which was recommended by the European Commission headed by President Ursula von der Leyen on November 8. The European Commission also recommended starting negotiations with the Republic of Moldova, which will also be discussed at the meeting that began on Thursday.

Hungary called the start of negotiations with Ukraine on joining the EU “ridiculous and frivolous”.

However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has repeatedly stated that he also opposes this plan, declaring again on Thursday morning, at the opening of the summit, that Ukraine’s accession after an accelerated process is not in the interests of either Hungary or the European Union.

“Taking into account the numbers, economic analyzes and the seriousness of the negotiations on granting Ukraine the status of a member (…), we have to say that this idea is currently absurd, ridiculous and not serious,” said the Prime Minister of Hungary.

On the eve of the two-day summit, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that his country had implemented the reforms necessary for the start of negotiations and demonstrated its readiness to continue them.

“I count on the fact that EU leaders will recognize Ukraine’s efforts and take this historic step,” he wrote on social media after a phone conversation with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

“Ukraine honored its role and demonstrated that it can achieve great results despite unprecedented challenges,” he emphasized.

Viktor Orbán cited corruption in Ukraine and other reasons, such as upholding the rights of the Hungarian minority, to justify his opposition to starting accession talks with Kyiv.

The EU has a “plan B” for approving a multi-year aid package for Kyiv, but it is not ideal

However, European officials and diplomats suspect that Orbán is using the issue as a pawn in his own negotiations, in which he is trying to unblock European funds meant for Hungary but which have been blocked by Brussels over concerns about Budapest’s lack of respect for the rule of law.

“We are not a Hungarian market where we can exchange one thing for another,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said a day ago. “Ukraine is a country that wants to respect democratic values… which, perhaps, should be a lesson for Orbán himself,” he added.

Despite his comments, the European Commission allocated 10.2 billion euros to Hungary on Wednesday afternoon, before the start of the summit.

As for the approval of the $50 billion aid package for Ukraine, the European Commission already has a “plan B” in case Budapest does not waive the veto. This would require that instead of a fund approved at Community level, Member States would individually approve aid packages that would reach this amount, depending on the size of their savings.

But such a process would be complex and take longer than a decision taken at Community level.

However, European officials and diplomats said they were prepared for a tightly negotiated summit that could last until Friday night or even into the weekend, as Austria unexpectedly announced on Tuesday that it opposes a fast-track accession process for Ukraine and the Republic. Moldova in the community.

Follow the latest events of the 659th day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.