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The adoption of this financial assistance required the unanimity of the Member States. However, the Hungarian head of government raised no objections to starting accession negotiations with Ukraine on Thursday.
Published on December 15, 2023 7:58 am Updated on December 15, 2023 8:25 am
Reading time: 1 min
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a meeting of the 27 European Union leaders on Thursday, December 14, in Brussels. (DURSUN AYDEMIR / ANADOLU / AFP)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Friday, December 15, that he had vetoed the adoption of a new EU budget aid for Ukraine worth 50 billion euros during a 27-nation summit. “Veto against additional funds for Ukraine, veto against the revision of the European multi-year budget, we will return to the issue next year after appropriate preparations,” wrote the Hungarian head of government on X (ex-Twitter). The adoption of this package required the unanimity of the member states. However, Viktor Orban did not use his veto right on Thursday to oppose the start of accession negotiations with Ukraine.
The 26 other EU countries that met with Hungary at a summit in Brussels had to bow to the nationalist leader's stubbornness. “We will return to the issue at the beginning of January,” said European Council President Charles Michel at a new summit on the night of Thursday to Friday. “There are 26 countries that have given the green light. There is currently no agreement with Hungary, but I am confident that we will reach it next year,” added Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
The EU had planned to provide Ukraine with €50 billion in aid (€33 billion in loans and €17 billion in donations) over four years starting next year. This new aid is seen as crucial in Kyiv as more than $60 billion in American aid remains blocked in Congress due to reluctance from Republican elected officials.
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