Orban finds an ally in the EU against allocating financial aid to Ukraine
He proposed to disburse money on an annual basis, assessing Ukraine's current needs and with the possibility of blocking aid
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who opposed the extension of military aid to Ukraine before the October elections, has backed Hungarian leader Viktor Orban in his standoff with the rest of the EU. After bilateral talks on Tuesday, Fico said he agreed with Orban's position and believed that the plan for financial aid to Ukraine should be redesigned.
Source. This was reported by the Associated Press.
At the end of December, at the EU leaders' summit, Orban blocked the decision to provide Kyiv with 50 billion euros for the next four years. The Ukrainian government planned to spend these funds on budgetary expenditures and economic support. The funds should not come from the EU's general budget, Orban said at the time.
Fico was among the other 26 leaders who supported the allocation of the money. But on Tuesday, he said he believed Orban's position was "rational and reasonable."
The Hungarian prime minister said: "If we want to help Ukraine – and I think we need to do it – we have to do it without destroying the EU budget."
He recently suggested that money should be disbursed on an annual basis, assessing Ukraine's current needs and with the possibility of blocking aid. Fico said he supports this proposal.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Europe should strengthen Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression:
"Ukrainians need predictable funding in 2024 and beyond. They need to be constantly provided with enough weapons so that Ukraine can defend itself and regain its territory," she said.
Since winning the election, Fico has changed his position on aid to Ukraine several times. At the end of October 2023, he said that Slovakia would no longer send weapons, but would continue to provide humanitarian aid and supply demining equipment. Then in November, he softened his position, saying that his government would not block the supply of weapons and ammunition from private manufacturers.
The next meeting of EU leaders to discuss aid to Ukraine will take place on February 1.
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