EU special summit
Orban insists on concessions before special summit
“We will defend our interests”: Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban. photo
© Denes Erdos/AP/dpa
Can there be an agreement on new financial aid for Ukraine at the special EU summit on Thursday? The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says yes, but formulates conditions.
The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is about to have one EU special summit on billions in financial aid for Ukraine reiterated its rejection of the current plans and stated conditions for an agreement. Hungary is ready to be part of a solution, he said in an interview with the French magazine Le Point. However, the prerequisite is that you decide every year whether you want to continue sending money or not.
Orban rejected allegations that he wanted to blackmail the other EU states with a veto and also referred to the European elections coming up in June. In his opinion, now committing 50 billion euros to Ukraine for the period until the end of 2027 could give citizens the impression that their vote doesn’t matter.
Possible stop of EU payments to Hungary
Orban also criticized an analysis by EU officials of the economic situation in Hungary, which was apparently intended to put pressure on Hungary before the special EU summit. The document revealed by the Financial Times points out that if the summit fails because of Orban, other heads of state and government could discuss stopping all EU payments to Hungary. This could then lead to falling foreign investment and a further increase in the financing costs of the government deficit and a currency collapse.
Orban described the document as an attempt at blackmail and warned that Hungary cannot be blackmailed. “We will defend our interests,” he wrote on the X platform.
New EU financial aid for Ukraine should actually have been decided at the EU summit last December. However, a consensus was needed there and Orban prevented the decision with a veto. He had previously questioned the usefulness of the plans several times and in this context also pointed out that, in his view, the EU had wrongly frozen funds from the Community budget intended for his country.
It is unclear whether a compromise can be found at the summit on Thursday. According to EU diplomats, EU states such as Germany and Poland have recently clearly ruled out granting Orban an annual right to review aid to Ukraine.
EU Council President Charles Michel announced that there would be informal discussions over dinner on the eve of the summit. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz was also expected to attend. If no solution can be found with Hungary, the other EU states want to act in a circle of 26 – i.e. without Hungary.