They already helped a lot: Hungary intends to block EU attempts to allocate €18 billion to Ukraine

Hungary refused to join the common loan of the European Union concerning general raising money to help Ukraine, and will block any EU efforts in this direction. About it said November 7 Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

According to him words, Hungary has supported Ukraine on a bilateral basis and will continue to do so, but is opposed to doing so jointly with other EU member states.

“Because we did it once. We supported co-borrowing during the coronavirus epidemic, but that was more than enough.”Szijjarto said.

Szijjártó added that the Hungarian government spent "tens and hundreds of millions of euros" to support healthcare, education, culture and churches in Ukraine.

“We are ready to continue financial support on a bilateral basis, on the basis of a bilateral agreement between Ukraine and Hungary. But we certainly will not support any general borrowing EU in this area, he concluded.

He made this statement after it became known that the European Commission intends provide Ukraine with long-term joint loans of 1,5 billion euros per month next year, a total of 18 billion euros at the end of the year. The website of the European Commission notes that the loans are “very concessional”, but at what percentage they will be provided to Ukraine and for how long, they did not indicate.

Hungary suffers from sanctions

Szijjarto once again criticized the anti-Russian sanctions, which, according to him, do not harm Moscow and hit Europeans the most.

Thus, last year Hungary spent 7 billion euros on energy imports, and this year, due to rising energy prices, it will cost 19 billion euros. The country predicts that if the trends in the energy market continue, energy resources could cost the country 29 billion euros next year.

In this regard, Szijjarto is confident that the only solution to this situation is peace, which few people talk about. In addition, Hungary has already received a million refugees from Ukraine.

Revenge of Hungary?

Hungary has rather tense relations with the center of the EU. Recently the European Commission recommended not allocate money to Hungary because of alleged problems with the rule of law in the country. They may refuse to allocate 65% of the money for three programs from a key EU fund in the amount of about 7,5 billion euros for the budget period until 2027. The decision is expected will accept 22 November.

The blocking of funds for Hungary is the next step for the EU in the process of the sanctions mechanism that was launched against Budapest in April 2022. Brussels repeatedly complained to the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban because of reforms that the EU sees as the destruction of democratic institutions, a threat to media freedom and infringement of the rights of minorities. Brussels believes that European money in Budapest can become the object of corruption by Orban, his family and friends. In addition, EU deputies have been named power of Hungary "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy"in which there is no respect for democratic norms and standards.

In this regard, Hungary's intention to block EU initiatives regarding assistance to Ukraine can be seen as an asymmetrical response to what is happening around Hungary itself.

Recall that Hungary also continues to oppose the ban on issuing visas to Russians and does not agree with the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

We have also published Zelensky's main conditions for the start of the peace process and told what Ukrainian refugees in Poland need to know.

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