European Union leaders are likely to agree this week on about 50 billion euros in support for Ukraine, despite Hungary’s threats to block the decision, European Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn told Reuters.
.in_text_content_22 { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 600px) { .in_text_content_22 { width: 580px; height: 400px; } }
The European Union proposes to amend its budget until 2027 and include 33 billion euros in loans and 17 billion in grants from Ukraine in order to ensure the stable functioning of the Ukrainian state during this period in the context of the ongoing war. Changes to the budget must be approved by the heads of government of all 27 EU countries, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban objected to both this amount and its inclusion in the union budget.
Help from the EU for Ukraine is all the more important because in the United States, financing expenses for Ukraine has become the subject of a struggle between Democrats and Republicans.
Khan said Hungary was likely to be persuaded because the budget overhaul would provide money (he put the figure at €15 billion) for other spending that Orban had advocated, including strengthening borders and payments to third countries for keeping illegal migrants in their own area.
In addition, on Wednesday the European Commission unblocked 10 billion euros of structural funds for Hungary, frozen due to its deviations from European standards of the rule of law and independence of justice. Brussels insists that this is not related to disputes over the budget and that Hungary has indeed corrected some shortcomings (On Tuesday, the Hungarian parliament passed laws increasing the independence of the courts).
If it still fails to reach an agreement with Orban, then the European Commission has “Plan B” in reserve, Khan admitted, noting that he prefers not to go into its details. A Reuters correspondent nevertheless asked the European Commissioner whether money could be allocated for Ukraine through an intergovernmental agreement of 26 EU countries (minus Hungary), and Khan responded as follows:
Certainly. This is one of the possibilities. But I don’t believe that Hungary will remain outside the international, not just the European, but the international community.
The EU’s decision, Khan said, could also affect lawmakers in the United States. According to him, American diplomats started talking to the EU in the spring about taking the leading role in long-term budgetary support for Ukraine.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.