By Anne Rovan
Published yesterday at 11:36 p.m., updated 2 hours ago
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attend a European Union summit (Brussels, December 14, 2023). YVES HERMAN/Portal
The release of European funds and Ukraine may seem unrelated, but the message is devastating.
Correspondent in Brussels
The schedule couldn't be more disastrous. The Commission waited until Wednesday evening, a day before the European summit, to release 10.2% of the roughly 30 billion euros promised to Hungary that it had withheld while waiting for Budapest to comply with EU standards on the rule of law. And this despite Viktor Orban preparing to torpedo EU support for Ukraine.
In absolute terms there is no connection between the release of European funds and EU support for Ukraine, but the message sent is devastating. “This is a very bad calculation and a very bad signal,” exclaims an EU diplomat. “It is very unfortunate. Orban will return to Budapest with money and will not give in to Ukraine. He visited Republicans in the US earlier this week to tell them that aid to Ukraine should be blocked. It is as if he was saying to the Europeans: “Are you going to do this? This is a betrayal,” says another.
Also read: EU support for Ukraine blackmailed by Viktor Orban
Several Member States have reportedly implemented…
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