by Bart H. Meijer, Benoit Van Overstraeten and Krisztina Than
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed an agreement on a 50 billion euro aid package for Ukraine on Friday and warned he was still in a position to block the process of Kyiv’s accession to the EU, the principle of which was approved Thursday evening by its European counterparts.
This decision was taken at the European Council in Brussels after Viktor Orban agreed to leave the meeting room knowing that the twenty-six other member countries would vote on Ukraine in his absence.
But European leaders could do nothing later in the evening in the face of determined opposition from Viktor Orban, close ally of Vladimir Putin, to the aid program for Ukraine of 50 billion euros over four years , while unanimity was also required there.
The Kremlin welcomed the attitude of the Hungarian Prime Minister, with its spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying he was “impressed”, while denouncing the EU’s “political” decision to open accession negotiations with Kyiv, which could destabilize the bloc according to Moscow.
Viktor Orban, who constantly criticizes the EU for domestic political purposes, told Hungarian public radio on Friday that he had blocked the aid program for Ukraine in order to ensure that Budapest would get the funds which he demands from the European budget.
The EU announced before the opening of the summit the release of 10 billion euros of funds intended for Hungary after the adoption of a law on the independence of the judiciary, but Brussels continues to block some 20 billion additional euros due to repeated attacks on the rule of law in this country.
The continuation of budget negotiations in January will be “an excellent opportunity for Hungary to say that it should receive the money to which it is entitled,” Viktor Orban said.
THE FIRST PAGE OF A LONG PROCESS
The opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine – and Moldova – nevertheless marks the limits of the Hungarian leader’s strategy of obstruction and represents a political victory for Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, at a time when support international in Kyiv seems to be crumbling.
“It’s a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, strengthens,” rejoiced the Ukrainian head of state.
Upon his arrival in Brussels for the second day of the summit, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said he was “proud to be European”, even if Thursday’s decision is “only the first page of a very, very long process “.
Viktor Orban, for his part, continued to criticize “a bad decision”. “We can block this process later and if necessary, we will put the brakes on and the final decision will fall to the Hungarian Parliament,” he warned.
Concerning the 50 billion aid, European leaders said they were confident of being able to reach an agreement next month.
“I can assure you that Ukraine will not be left without support, there are different ways to help it,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said.
Member countries could also conclude separate agreements with Kyiv.
“The message to Ukraine is: we will be there to help you,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre De Croo declared on Thursday, adding to Viktor Orban: “If you are part of the decision, you are agree with the decision, or you just have to keep quiet.”
EU heads of state and government continue their summit this Friday with other topics on the agenda, including the situation in the Middle East.
(Reporting Jan Strupczewski; French version Camille Raynaud, Zhifan Liu, Jean-Stéphane Brosse, edited by Tangi Salaün)
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