EU summit discusses Ukraine: All against one – one against all

Hungary’s Prime Minister Orban rejects further aid for Ukraine as well as accession negotiations. At the EU summit, all other heads of state and government are trying to get him to give in – so far in vain.

At the EU summit in Brussels, 26 member states are trying to put pressure on Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban to lift his veto against further aid to Ukraine and accession negotiations. However, Orban, who is considered close to Russia, said there was no rush to help Kiev. At best, he was willing to provide money outside the EU budget – which would then not oblige Hungary to do anything. The other 26 member states reject this because the EU would then no longer have a united stance towards Russia.

Orban also rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request for accession negotiations: “There is no reason to discuss anything because the conditions are not met,” he emphasized. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola contradicted this: It was not about “a quick-track procedure” for Kiev, she said after a debate with the heads of state and government.

Zelensky warns that the summit will fail

Zelensky appealed to the EU to stick to its promises. “Now is not the time for half measures,” he said during a video link with the heads of state and government. If the summit fails, Russian President Vladimir Putin will respond with a “satisfied smile.”

The two-day meeting is about an aid package worth 50 billion euros that is intended to save Ukraine from economic collapse. The starting signal for accession negotiations with Ukraine and neighboring Moldova is also planned.

Many are upset with Orban

Many EU heads of state and government expressed anger at Orban. “If Ukraine is not supported by the EU and the US, Putin will win,” said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas hoped for at least partial concessions from Hungary.

“We are not in a Hungarian bazaar where we can exchange one thing for another,” criticized Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. “Ukraine is a country that wants to respect democratic values… Maybe a lesson for Orban himself,” he added, alluding to the rule of law violations in the Eastern European EU country criticized by the EU Commission.

No decisions are possible without unanimity

The decisions in favor of Ukraine require unanimity, which means Orban has the right to veto. Unfortunately, the picture that emerges is of 26 member states against one single one, said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. “But we are not sitting here to offer Orban anything.” Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called it “simply not fair” to ignore Ukraine’s efforts to start accession negotiations. “If some people don’t listen, things get really complicated,” said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda about Orban.

Scholz calls for agreement

Chancellor Olaf Scholz supports aid to Ukraine and called on all summit participants to reach agreement. Together with French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he sought a solution in a small circle with Orban in the run-up to the summit. However, there has been no sign of a compromise so far.

Shortly before the summit began, the EU Commission released ten billion euros for Hungary, which had been frozen in the dispute over a judicial reform that has now been passed. There was sharp criticism of the decision. The European Parliament members were outraged that the Commission had paid a gigantic “bribe” to get Orban to give in. Orban himself emphasized that he saw no connection between the ten billion euros and the Ukraine issues.

Other topics: Future technologies and migration

The EU summit also wants to find a solution to the deadlocked dispute over billions more for migration and future technologies. In the last draft for the EU budget framework until 2027, a total of 9.6 billion euros were allocated for external border protection and migration partnerships with third countries.

Scholz once again criticized that “Europe cannot be about deciding on very large additional expenditures,” said the Chancellor, referring to the German budget compromise on Wednesday. Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa, on the other hand, said that he hoped for a “more open attitude from Germany” after the agreement in Berlin.