EU Ministers Voice Frustrations After Hungary Again Blocks Ukraine Aid

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Facts

  • A number of EU ministers and diplomats voiced their frustrations on Monday after Hungary used its veto power to again block a military aid package that allows EU member states to be reimbursed for their weapons donations to Ukraine.1
  • Hungary's blocking of the €500M ($544M) tranche of the European Peace Facility (EPF) effectively halts two more packages of the same size, as well as a €5B ($5.4B) package — taking the amount of military aid being held up to €6.5B ($7.1B).1
  • Speaking after the meeting, Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, told a press conference that discussions were 'heated.' He said he understood if member states had concerns about EU policies, but added that 'blockage' of decisions had to be 'proportionate to the issue at stake.'2
  • In light of the developments, some EU countries have bypassed the bloc and came to their own agreements with Ukraine. On Monday, during a visit from Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez signed a 10-year defense agreement and unveiled a €1B ($1.1B) military aid package to be delivered this year.3
  • Meanwhile, France's defense ministry on Monday signed agreements with its Ukrainian counterpart that will allow French instructors to be stationed in Ukraine for the purposes of training troops, as well as carrying out military repairs.4
  • Also on Monday, following a call from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urging members to lift the restriction on their weapons being used to strike inside Russian territory last week, NATO's Parliamentary Assembly approved a declaration calling on member nations to do the same.5

Sources: 1Euronews, 2The Irish Times, 3Guardian, 4The Kyiv Independent and 5Interfax.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Politico. Over the course of several months, Hungary has continued to fabricate different reasons explaining why it cannot support various measures that support Ukraine. One country is basically holding the rest of the EU hostage — not allowing the bloc to carry out effective foreign policy.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Hungary Today. Despite being a democratic institution, EU countries resorted to shouting and abuse when Hungary exercised its sovereign right to block decisions that harm its national interest. Hungary has no desire to follow these pro-war leaders in furthering these reckless moves that only escalate the prospects of a full-blown conflict.

Predictions