Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is once again causing a headache for the European Union after he decided to convene a series of national consultations in which he will ask Hungarians about the continuity of aid to Ukraine and link it to frozen European funds (30,000 million euros). . due to the authoritarian tendency in which the country lives. The consultation will also focus on immigration and terrorism, as Orban accuses the EU of funding Hamas. Hungarians can respond in writing or online and the results are not binding but do not contribute to improving relations between Budapest and Brussels. The consultations will last until January.
This new move by Orban comes at a time when he has gained an ally with the victory of Robert Fico in Slovakia, known for his pro-Russian positions. It is not just a matter of further arming Kiev, but the European Union now faces tense negotiations to review the European budget between 2024 and 2027. The culmination must be an agreement to set up a financial reserve for Ukraine between loans and grants of approx. 50.000 million euros in four years to support reconstruction.
However, the negotiations have not yet reached their climax, namely at the last summit in October Orban and Fico have already expressed their doubts about this plan. It must be remembered that any budget revision requires the unanimity of capitals, over which a single country has veto power. Given the risk of a collapse of Ukraine’s economy in the coming months, European leaders were expected to discuss the issue again at the summit in December. In addition to this new package, Hungary continues to sell the final tranche of 500 million euros to further upgrade Kiev.
Hungary’s doubts, which ultimately gave in to all the sanctions packages after making some concessions, come at a time when US aid to Ukraine faces numerous doubts due to the possibility of Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the conflict between Israel and Hamas concentrates all international efforts. In a prank call, the Italian Prime Minister called Giorgia Meloniinvoluntarily acknowledged European fatigue with the war in Ukraine, at a time when the Ukrainian offensive on the battlefield is proving more difficult than expected.