Hungary's Orban blocks aid for Ukraine, says he can still halt EU accession
By Krisztina Than and Gabriela Baczynska
BUDAPEST/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed a major European Union aid package for Ukraine on Friday and warned he could still halt Kyiv's accession to the bloc after membership talks won EU approval.
At a summit in Brussels on Thursday, the European Union's 26 other leaders took the historic step of agreeing to start accession negotiations with a country at war, bypassing Orban's objections by getting him to leave the room.
But, hours later, they could not overcome resistance from Orban — who maintains close ties to Russia — to a revamp of the bloc's budget to channel 50 billion euros ($54.94 billion) to Ukraine and provide more cash for other EU priorities such as managing migration.
Orban told state radio on Friday that he blocked the aid package to Ukraine — part of a broader multi-year budget plan — to make sure Hungary gets the funds it wants from the EU budget.
«I have always said that if someone wants to modify the (EU)budget — and they want to — then it is a great opportunity for Hungary to make it clear that it must get what it is entitled to. Not half of it, or one-fourth,» he said.
The breakthrough on a membership path came at a critical time for Ukraine with its counter-offensive against Russian invasion forces having failed to make major gains and with U.S. President Joe Biden so far unable to get a $60 billion package for Kyiv through Congress.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the approval of membership talks as a victory for Ukraine and Europe, but Orban stressed the talks would be very long — and warned Hungary could still block them at any time.
'BAD DECISION'?
«This is a bad decision,» the nationalist Hungarian leader
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