EU Gets Hungary to Agree on 50 Billion Euro Aid Package for Ukraine
The EU successfully pressured Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to approve a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid package to Ukraine, and EU leaders agreed to push through the spending on Thursday (Feb 1).
Ahead of the summit, Financial Times reported that the EU was threatening to sabotage Hungary’s economy if Orban vetoed the spending package. A European diplomat acknowledged to FT that the strategy was “blackmail.”
Orban also held one-on-one meetings with some other European leaders who convinced him to approve the aid.
Orban portrayed his approval of the aid package as a victory and said Hungarian funds would not be going to Ukraine.
“Mission accomplished. Hungary’s funds will not end up in Ukraine and we have a control mechanism at the end of the first and the second year,” he said.
“Our position on the war in Ukraine remains unchanged: we need a ceasefire and peace talks.”
Source:Antiwar.com
