Viktor Orban pledges to stand firm against EU funding of Ukraine

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Viktor Orban has vowed to stand firm against blocking the European Union’s financial package for Ukraine, saying he will not be swayed by offers of money or threats from fellow leaders at an emergency summit next year.

The controversial Hungarian leader vetoed a four-year, 50 billion euro aid package for Kiev last week, leaving EU leaders scrambling to find alternatives, which could require a cumbersome procedure to send money without Hungary.

Speaking at his only international press conference of the year, Orban said he would insist that the EU meet four conditions if leaders wanted to go ahead with funding for Ukraine at a summit scheduled for early next year.

Orban demanded that the financing package be modest in size, outside the EU’s common budget, extend over one year instead of four, and be designed to exempt Hungary from any new joint EU borrowing.

“Advance commitment to give Ukraine 50 billion euros [four] “We only have years of EU budget left, which has no money to finance this, so imposing new borrowing is a bad decision,” Orban said. “We should make a good one instead.”

The European Union is trying to develop ways for its 26 member states to support Ukraine on a bilateral basis if Hungary is not willing to participate.

Orban hinted that this would be the only way forward at the emergency summit scheduled for February 1, adding that he did not fear that EU leaders would retaliate against him by threatening to suspend voting rights in Hungary.

He added: “The EU Treaty is clear that such a measure can only be launched in the event of a sustained violation of the rule of law.” But the European Commission just said. . . Our judicial system is sound. “I’m not worried.”

The Commission last week released about €10 billion in funds, part of more than €30 billion that had been frozen due to long-standing concerns about the rule of law. But it left more than 20 billion euros withheld, and Orban said the money was still “owed to Hungary.”

However, Orban said he would not back down from his opposition to Ukraine’s funding proposal, even if the rest of the funds were released. “It’s not about the money, it’s about the four conditions I set,” he said.

He also claimed that he only agreed to let the EU begin accession talks with Ukraine because the heads of state reminded him at the summit that Hungary had dozens of future opportunities to block Ukraine’s path to membership.

“What we are preparing to do now is wrong. I spent eight hours in vain trying to convince other leaders of this,” Orbán said. “They are against Hungary now but they will win in the end.”

Orban defended the decision he made earlier this year to hold direct talks with Vladimir Putin, saying it was “the right thing to do,” and also defended calling the invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation.”

He added: “It is a military operation, as no war has been declared between the two countries.” “We should all be glad there is no war, because war means universal conscription, which I wish on no one.”