EU halts €20 billion military aid plan for Ukraine over Orbán
Photo: Orbán blocks €20 billion aid package for Ukraine (Getty Images)
The new EU military aid package to Ukraine worth 20 billion euros is in question. Hungary is categorically against it, acoording to Politico.
The EU has already allocated 60 billion euros for military aid to Ukraine in 2025, and this money is beyond question. Budapest is against the new package.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is going to present her toolkit for increasing EU defense spending this morning.
However, a new military funding package proposed by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has been excluded from the latest draft of the EU Council's conclusions.
According to the media, Hungary will take the blame for freezing the €20 billion aid package to Kyiv. Budapest may support strengthening the EU's defense, but it is strongly opposed to the aid package for Ukraine.
Hungary's objections to security guarantees and new aid were already in place before Donald Trump and J.D. Vance teamed up against Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
European Council President António Costa appears to have conceded defeat in his campaign to get Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on board with the aid package. “I note that there is a divergence on the path to achieve peace and, in particular, the ‘peace through strength’ approach,” Costa wrote to Orbán on March 3. He emphasized the “broad agreement” on the need for Europe to become more sovereign, more capable and better equipped to address security challenges.
Orbán and Robert Fico of Slovakia have publicly voiced their objections. However, diplomats behind the scenes say other capitals, including Paris, are just as happy to see the funding package slowly moving forward, Politico writes.
Von der Leyen is likely to suggest more creative ways to get reluctant member states to support Ukraine. According to the diplomat, one option would be to require that 20 percent of new loans available for defense spending go to aid Kyiv.
According to Politico, Hungary rejected a draft document on security guarantees and new military aid to Ukraine worth €20 billion at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Friday.
