“Hungary is a sovereign country, it has its interests. And unlike many European countries, it resolutely defends its interests, which we appreciate,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, December 15. On the night of Thursday to Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed new EU budget aid for Ukraine worth 50 billion euros (loans and grants). The adoption of this package required the unanimity of Member States. However, they agreed to start negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership. Follow our live stream.
A new peak is expected for 2024. The 27 member states of the European Union will meet again to discuss this aid to Ukraine. “I don't want to go into too much detail, I will work with my colleagues in the coming days and weeks to prepare a summit for early next year,” stressed European Council President Charles Michel on Friday.
“26 of us gave the green light.” The EU had planned to provide Ukraine with aid worth 33 billion euros in loans and 17 billion euros in donations over four years from 2024. “We are 26 countries that have given the green light. There is currently no agreement with Hungary, but I am confident that we will get there next year,” said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. “Summary of the evening: veto of additional funds for Ukraine” regarding the proposed revision of the European budget, commented Viktor Orban on X (ex-Twitter).
Agreement on starting accession negotiations. EU leaders also decided on Thursday to begin accession negotiations with Ukraine, despite the stated opposition of the same Viktor Orban, who ultimately did not use his veto power on the matter. “It is a victory for Ukraine, for all of Europe, a victory that motivates, inspires and makes us stronger,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately reacted.
New sanctions against Russia. The European Union has adopted a new package of sanctions against Moscow, which includes, among other things, a ban on the import of Russian diamonds into the EU and an improvement in the effectiveness of sanctions against Russian oil. This is the twelfth sanctions package since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.