Hungary’s Orban Caves On $54B In EU Aid To Ukraine

The Associated Press reports:

The leaders of the 27 European Union countries sealed a deal Thursday to provide Ukraine with a new 50-billion-euro ($54 billion) support package for its war-ravaged economy despite weeks of threats from Hungary to veto the move.

That Hungary lifted its veto, and so quickly, came as a surprise. On the eve of the summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban posted on X: “We will stand up for the voice of the people! Even if the bureaucrats in Brussels blackmail us.”

Orban, the EU leader with the closest ties to Russia, is angry at the European Commission’s decision to freeze his government’s access to some of the bloc’s funds over concerns about the alleged democratic backsliding in Hungary.

Read the full article. Last week the EU threatened to suspend Hungary’s voting rights over opposition to aid to Ukraine.

Grateful to @CharlesMichel and EU leaders for establishing the €50 billion Ukraine Facility for 2024-2027.

It is very important that the decision was made by all 27 leaders, which once again proves strong EU unity.

Continued EU financial support for Ukraine will strengthen…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 1, 2024