European Union leaders failed to agree on a $54 billion aid package for Ukraine on Thursday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.
The EU heads of state and government held a summit on Ukraine policy in Brussels from Thursday.
“We still have some time, Ukraine will not be short of money in the next few weeks,” Rutte said, according to Portal.
He added that Hungary was the only EU member state that had not agreed to the deal, which will be reconsidered in January.
The announcement comes hours after the group officially opened EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, a years-long process that both nations have long sought.
This development overcame resistance from Hungary, whose leader, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, was openly skeptical about supporting Ukraine. Orbán met controversially with Russian President Vladimir Putin in October.
Pro-Ukrainian leaders in the EU pushed for the billions of dollars in aid, which comes at a time when Ukraine's war is stalling on the front lines as winter begins.
“Without the support and continued support of both the European Union and the United States, Ukraine will not exist,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said. Otherwise, he added: “Well then Putin will win.”
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky was also in the U.S. on Tuesday to meet with President Biden and congressional leaders to try to secure additional aid. Congress remains at an impasse over a border security bill that Republicans say is a prerequisite for aid to Ukraine.
Military analysts have warned that additional Western help is needed in Ukraine as the Russian invasion enters its second year. Biden warned this week that not securing additional aid to the country could embolden Putin.
“I don’t want you to give up hope,” Biden told Zelensky during his visit on Tuesday. “We’ll stay by your side.”
“Putin is betting that the US will not deliver to Ukraine. We must, we must, we must prove him wrong,” Biden said. “Ukraine’s success and its ability to deter future aggression are critical to the security of the world at large.”
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