Hungary blocks EU aid: Orban seeks talks with Ukraine
Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban (Getty Images)
Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, says that he wants a Ukrainian delegation to come to Budapest before approving the European Union assistance, according to his statement before a meeting with EU leaders in Brussels.
When journalists asked what to expect next on the issue of the 500 million euros in aid for Ukraine, Orban said he was waiting for the Ukrainian delegation.
"We are waiting for the Ukrainian delegation to come to Budapest for negotiations. We are open and ready to discuss this matter," Orban stated.
Blocking the EU tranche
Hungary has regularly blocked the EU allocation of funds for Ukraine's needs. Budapest has been opposing the allocation of the 500 million euro tranche since May.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, says that the country is ready to change its position if Ukraine removes the Hungarian OTP bank out of the list of international sponsors of the war.
The bank was put on the list because it continued its operations in Russia, despite the full-scale invasion.
Recently, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention of Ukraine removed the OTP Bank from the list, but Hungary claimed that it was supposedly an "insufficient step."
