As of: February 1, 2024, 6:56 a.m
By: Lisa Mahnke
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The 50 billion package for Ukraine failed at the last EU summit.
A special summit should convince Orban.
Will Hungary take back the veto?
Brussels – The last attempt to reach an agreement on further aid deliveries to Ukraine will begin at a special EU summit this Thursday (February 1st).
The only thing missing for the package with financial support commitments amounting to 50 billion euros for the period until the end of 2027 is the support of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
They actually wanted to decide on the aid at a regular EU summit in December 2023, but Orban vetoed it and thus prevented the necessary unanimous decision.
Before the summit, Orban said in an interview with France's
Le Point
: "Nothing has changed." Hungary still believes there is no military solution to the conflict and that the European aid package does not fit that view.
“We believe the only solution is diplomatic.
It implies negotiations for a ceasefire and peace,” said the Hungarian Prime Minister.
Orban's compromise meets with criticism: EU threatens consequences
Instead, Orban proposed a compromise on Saturday: If everyone decided unanimously every year whether they wanted to continue sending money or not, the prime minister would not veto it.
This means that the Hungarian Prime Minister could keep the option of voting against further aid again next year.
However, other member states such as Germany reject this, among other things because they want to guarantee Ukraine long-term support.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) recently criticized the fact that some EU member states had budgeted less money for military aid deliveries in the Ukraine war.
It endangers Kiev's endurance in the Ukraine war, said Scholz.
Hungary under Victor Orban is the last EU member state to prevent a unanimous decision on military aid to Ukraine.
© picture alliance / dpa |
Filip Singer
EU diplomats accused Orban of trying to use his veto policy to free frozen EU funds for Hungary.
At the same time, the Financial Times
reported
on the EU's plans to impose sanctions against Hungary in the event of another veto.
It would not be the only step in this direction.
According to the
German Press Agency,
the other 26 EU states want to negotiate without Hungary in this case.
Accordingly, a debate about the withdrawal of Hungary's right to vote in EU decisions is also likely.
The necessary Article 7 procedure for suspected rule of law deficits has been running for years, but without much emphasis.
EU ammunition plan fails: EU aid package to relieve the burden on individual states
Shortly before the special EU summit, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced at a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels that the EU was failing in its ammunition plan for Ukraine.
Borrell said Kiev can expect at least 21 billion euros in bilateral arms aid from Europe this year.
The goal of delivering one million artillery shells will not be achieved by the end of March.
However, the foreign representative was confident that this could be done by the end of 2024.
The 21 billion euros would be a significant increase compared to the average 14 billion euros spent per year before, said Borrell in response to a request from the federal government.
Germany alone had promised Kiev around seven billion euros for this year.
The EU aid package is intended to ensure further support for Ukraine, which, if an agreement is reached, would be financed by the EU budget instead of by the member states.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenkyj announced a video address for the special summit.
(dpa/lismah)