New Orban Blackmail: Hungary Sets New Conditions for EU to Unblock €50 Billion for Ukraine

Hungary claims it can lift its veto on the €50 billion EU aid package for Ukraine on the condition that the funding undergoes an annual review, according to Politico. Citing information from three EU diplomats, Hungary suggests it may remove its veto if the European Council approves annual votes on allocating funds. This would give Hungary's pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán the opportunity to block Ukraine's financing every year or receive concessions from Brussels in exchange for waiving the veto.

Hungary presented its proposal during a meeting of 27 EU budget experts on Friday and submitted the relevant document to the current EU Presidency held by Belgium. According to a diplomat familiar with the negotiations, under the Hungarian proposal, the EU would provide Ukraine with €12.5 billion annually in grants and loans, totalling the €50 billion proposed by the European Commission over four years.

Some EU diplomats remain sceptical about this proposal despite Hungary's change in rhetoric, as Hungary had previously been staunchly against providing any form of financial assistance to Ukraine. The EU's seven-year budget is a multi-year structure that cannot be reapproved annually.

In response, Petri Sarvamaa, a Member of the European Parliament from Finland, initiated a petition to strip Hungary of its voting rights in the European Council under Article 7 of the EU Treaty. He announced this on Twitter, emphasizing that procedures under this article, allowing the suspension of certain rights, including voting in the EU Council, have not been invoked against Hungary despite its repeated violations of EU values—respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law.

This is not the first instance of Orbán's 'blackmail,' prompting the EU to prepare a €20 billion aid plan for Ukraine, bypassing Hungary's veto.