Viktor Orban in blockade mode
Von der Leyen: EU aid for Ukraine, if necessary without Hungary
December 15, 2023, 5:34 p.m
The majority of heads of state and government are calling for new aid to Ukraine at the EU summit. But Hungary’s President Orban is the only one out of line. Commission President von der Leyen and Chancellor Scholz are optimistic that despite the veto there will be a solution in the end.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised a solution to the blockage of aid payments to Ukraine. Her authority will use the time until the next EU summit to find a feasible solution – “whatever happens at the summit”. A path without Hungary, which is so far the only country to stand in the way, is not ruled out.
“We are of course working very hard to achieve a result in which there is an agreement among the 27 member states,” von der Leyen continued. “But I think it is now also necessary to work on possible alternatives in order to have an operational solution in the event that an agreement with 27 unanimously is not possible.”
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban did not give up his resistance to the release of aid worth 50 billion euros at the summit of the 27 heads of state and government. The negotiations were therefore broken off last night. Another summit is scheduled for early next year.
Scholz: There are other ways to help Ukraine
Orban had initially suggested that aid to Ukraine should not be included in the EU budget, but this was not well received by the other 26 summit participants. However, resistance to this is crumbling. “It is possible that 26 member states will provide the money on a bilateral basis, not through the multi-year budget,” said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar after the summit. But this would not be his preferred solution.
EU Council President Charles Michel said he was “extremely confident and optimistic that we will be able to fulfill our promises to provide financial support to Ukraine.” Chancellor Olaf Scholz also said he was “confident that we will reach an agreement in January.” Scholz rejected Orban’s demand to release the EU funds frozen in Hungary due to violations of the rule of law in return for relinquishing his veto. “There should be no connection between issues that are not related to each other,” he said.
In the event that Orban does not give in at the special summit planned for January, Scholz added: “We have other options to help Ukraine.” One should not give up trying to find a solution within the framework of the normal budget. He is optimistic that this will succeed.