At an extraordinary EU summit on Thursday, the EU's 27 member states voted to agree to provide Ukraine with an aid package worth a total of 50 billion euros by the end of 2027. Previously, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had consistently expressed opposition to the plan.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban no longer blocks the EU's plans to send a new batch of aid to Ukraine. European Council President Charles Michel announced at an extraordinary EU summit in Brussels on Thursday (February 1) that the heads of state and heads of state of the 27 countries of the European Union have agreed to provide Ukraine with an aid package worth a total of 50 billion euros by the end of 2027.
Michelle wrote on the social platform X: "We reached an agreement. "As a result of the unanimous adoption, Ukraine can receive long-term funding. In addition, Michel said, it shows that the EU is playing a leadership role and responsibility for the good of a country. "We know what's at stake. ”
It is unclear whether Orban made concessions to this. According to several diplomats, Orban did not make compromises. The Hungarian side has also not yet commented.
Originally, the EU could approve the aid package in December last year, but at that time, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that he would vote against the bill and block the passage of the bill, so the vote has been delayed until now.
Previously, the Hungarian side had repeatedly questioned the rationality of the aid plan, and at the same time argued that the EU had made a mistake in freezing the funds originally planned to be allocated to Hungary.
On Thursday morning, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz joined other EU leaders in trying to persuade Orban to support new aid to Ukraine.
Before the summit, Orban said in an interview with the French magazine Viewpoint that Hungary was ready to participate in the settlement. However, the premise is that the EU revotes every year on whether to continue to provide aid to Ukraine. Other EU member states, including Germany, objected. One of the reasons for this is their desire to assure Ukraine of long-term support.
Ukraine** Zelensky praised this resolution adopted by the European Union. He said the resolution shows "the EU's strong solidarity" and that the commitment will strengthen Ukraine's long-term economic and financial stability.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the EU has provided Kyiv with military aid worth 28 billion euros since the start of the war in Ukraine. This year's military aid will amount to at least 21 billion euros. He said that this amount is still likely to increase, since not all EU countries have provided information about the planned provision of military equipment assistance.