Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Friday vetoed a significant aid package from the European Union for Ukraine, stating that he can still oppose Kyiv's accession to the EU after giving the green light to start membership talks. Orbán told state radio today that he "had to prevent the aid package for Ukraine, which is part of a broader multiannual budget plan, to ensure Hungary receives the funds it wants from the EU budget." He added, "I always say that if someone wants to modify the budget, which they want to do, this is a great opportunity for Hungary to clarify that it must receive what it deserves, not half or a quarter."
At a summit held in Brussels on Thursday, other EU leaders overcame Orbán's objections by persuading him to leave the room while they took a historic step by agreeing to start membership negotiations with a country at war. However, they were unable to overcome Orbán's resistance, who has close ties to Russia, to make changes to the EU budget that would allow for financial support for Ukraine amounting to fifty billion euros ($54.94 billion) and provide more liquidity for other EU priorities such as migration management. This breakthrough on the membership track came at a critical time for Ukraine, as its counteroffensive against Russian invasion forces has not achieved significant gains, and U.S. President Joe Biden has yet to secure a $60 billion aid package for Kyiv through Congress.
