The member states of the European Union unanimously approved a package of aid totaling over 50 billion euros for Ukraine, in a summit held in Brussels, following last-minute attempts to persuade Hungary, which had previously withheld its consent.
According to the agreed settlement, the European aid allocated to Ukraine (33 billion dollars in the form of loans and 17 billion dollars in grants) will be disbursed over 4 years and included in an annex to the European Union budget until 2027.
The European leaders gathered in Brussels for an extraordinary summit to break the deadlock due to the opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the only one among the 27 leaders who maintained relations with Moscow.
The settlement reached by the European leaders stipulates that the European Commission will produce an annual report on Ukraine’s use of the funds and the possibility for the leaders, if necessary and unanimously, to request a review of the aid within two years.
Hungary demanded the ability to conduct an annual review of this support, but the other EU member states were not inclined to grant such repeated opportunities to exercise the right of veto.
According to a European diplomat, who requested anonymity, Orban “backed down (…) he saw that there was discomfort, and that there was a limit that should not be exceeded.”
Hungarian Opposition
The Hungarian leader, the only one among the Union’s leaders who maintained close relations with Moscow, angered and irritated his counterparts in December last year by opposing this financial support. He was accused in Brussels of blackmailing the European Union in order to secure the disbursement of European funds frozen by the European Commission due to internal legal violations committed by Budapest.
In December last year, the Commission released approximately 10 billion euros citing the Hungarian government’s implementation of reforms to strengthen the independence of its judiciary. However, over 20 billion euros of European funds remain frozen due to Brussels’ concerns, particularly regarding the respect of LGBTQ+ rights, academic freedom, and the right to asylum in Hungary. The majority of the funds are allocated for the COVID recovery plan.
Orban regularly accuses the Commission of having political motives. The settlement – agreed on Thursday – emphasizes the “objective, fair, and neutral” nature of any decision by the European Union regarding these funds.
Orban, the only European leader to maintain close relations with Moscow (Reuters)
Message to Washington
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the aid in a speech directed at the Union’s leaders, considering his country on the path to joining the European bloc after being granted candidate status last year.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that “Russia cannot bet on any European leniency in supporting Ukraine”. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, commented that it was “a strong message” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It is also a message to the United States where new financial assistance to Ukraine remains pending in Congress. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, “I hope that (this) will help facilitate matters so that President Joe Biden can proceed with his plan to assist this country, which is at war.”
Kyiv strongly needs Western assistance to support its economy after nearly two years of Russian aggression.
Field Developments
On the other hand, the governor of the Ukrainian region of Kherson, Oleksandr Horokhodin, and other officials stated that a Russian attack resulted in the killing of two French volunteers and the injury of three other foreigners on Thursday in the town of Pervomaisk in southern Ukraine.
Prosecutors in Kherson stated that Russian forces carried out a major drone attack in the region, with the police indicating that a Ukrainian citizen was injured.
In another context, Russian investigators stated on Thursday that they have evidence proving that the Ukrainian army shot down a Russian military transport plane, an “Ilyushin Il-76”, on January 24 last year with two American-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles.
Russia has accused Ukraine several times of shooting down the plane, claiming that it resulted in the deaths of 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners who were on their way to being exchanged for Russian prisoners of war.
The investigators released footage of what they claimed were the remains of Ukrainian soldiers aboard the plane. Kyiv has not confirmed shooting down the plane but has cast doubt on Moscow’s account, calling for an international investigation.
