NATO member Hungary is expected to veto proposals for a fresh 50 billion-euro aid package for Ukraine at this week’s European Union summit in Brussels.
Slated for Dec. 14 and 15, the EU leaders’ summit will take up whether to provide Kyiv with 50 billion euros (around $54 billion) in economic support and 20 billion euros (around $22 billion) in military assistance. EU leaders also will decide on whether to open EU membership talks with Ukraine, which has long sought to join the European bloc.
Based on recent remarks by Hungarian officials, Budapest is expected to veto both proposals, which require the unanimous support of all 27 EU member states. It’s also likely to oppose calls for a 12th round of EU sanctions on Russia, which invaded eastern Ukraine early last year.
In past remarks, Victor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, has asserted that Ukraine is “not ready” to become a full EU member, pointing to endemic corruption in Ukraine, along with Kyiv’s alleged mistreatment of ethnic Hungarians, to support his assertion.
Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly stressed the need for Western support—both financial and military—to continue the ongoing fight against Russian forces.
Kyiv has made no secret of its longstanding desire to join the EU.
“We’re counting on positive decisions [at the summit in Brussels],” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address on Dec. 10. “Europe must defend its values and unity decisively.”
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, has voiced similar sentiments.
“The most important decision is ... the decision on opening [EU] accession talks,” he said at a meeting with EU foreign ministers on Dec. 11.
“I don’t want to talk about the devastating consequences that will occur should the [European] Council fail to make this decision,” Mr. Kuleba added.
‘Key Moment’
According to a senior EU official quoted by Reuters, the summit will be a “key moment.”“It’s very important that ... the EU show clear and full support to Ukraine,” the official was quoted as saying on Dec. 11.
“That message wouldn’t be only for Moscow,” the official added. “It would also be a message for Washington [and] a message for Kyiv.”
Under Mr. Orban, Hungary has long been the only EU member state to oppose unqualified support for Ukraine.
Budapest’s stance has contrasted sharply with the stated positions of the EU, NATO, and Washington.
On Dec. 11, Peter Szijjarto, Hungary’s foreign minister, said his country wouldn’t bow to “pressure” from other European leaders.
“Most European politicians want to make such important decisions [about Ukraine], which entirely lack preparation and strategic consensus,” he said.
“We will not give in to any pressure, irrespective of where or by whom that pressure is coming from.”
The meeting in Brussels comes amid mounting speculation about the future of U.S. support for Ukraine. Last week, Republicans rejected a proposal by U.S. President Joe Biden for a fresh $60 billion aid package for Kyiv, with the lawmakers insisting that additional assistance for Ukraine be coupled with increased funding for U.S. border security.
Mr. Zelenskyy will meet with President Biden in Washington on Dec. 12 to discuss the “vital importance” of continued U.S. support, according to a White House statement.
Peace Talks Unlikely
The summit in Brussels also comes amid an increasingly bleak battlefield situation for Ukraine, which many media outlets have begun to acknowledge.“Putin’s Russia is closing in on a devastating victory,” a Dec. 9 headline in the UK’s Daily Telegraph read. “Europe’s foundations are trembling.”
The newspaper, known for its strongly pro-Ukraine stance, goes on to explicitly state that a months-long Ukrainian counteroffensive had “ended in failure.”
Early this month, American journalist Seymour Hersh reported that private talks were underway between top Russian and Ukrainian military officials. Writing on Substack, Mr. Hersh cited unnamed U.S. intelligence sources to support his assertions.
When asked about Mr. Hersh’s claims, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times that any decision to hold talks with Moscow is “up to Ukraine.”
“It’s clear that the Kremlin has no interest in negotiating or ending this war,“ the spokesperson said. ”We are committed to supporting Ukraine in this fight and giving Ukraine the equipment and assistance it needs to win.”
When asked about the prospect of secret talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently told reporters: “You’ll have to ask Mr. Zelenskyy.”
Mr. Lavrov pointed out that the Ukrainian leader had outlawed all communication between Kyiv and Moscow for as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin remains in office.
On Dec. 8, Mr. Putin confirmed his intention to contest presidential elections slated for March 2024. An election victory would allow him to remain in power until 2030.
