Business news from Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister threatens to block all EU aid to Ukraine – press

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to block all EU aid to Ukraine, as well as the country’s future accession to the bloc, unless EU leaders agree to review their entire strategy for supporting Kyiv, according to a letter to European Council President Charles Michel, Politico reports.

In the letter, Orban said that no decisions on funding Ukraine, opening EU accession talks or further sanctions against Russia can be made until a “strategic discussion” takes place when leaders gather in Brussels in mid-December.

“The European Council should analyze the implementation and effectiveness of our current policy towards Ukraine, including the various assistance programs,” Orban wrote in the letter, which is undated but bears the stamp of his office.

He also questioned why Europe should continue to support Ukraine at a time when the United States, which has provided the bulk of military aid to Kyiv, may not be able to continue funding due to a party deadlock over further support.

“The European Council should have a frank and open discussion about the feasibility of the EU’s strategic goals in Ukraine. Do we think these goals are realistically achievable? Is this strategy sustainable without reliable support from the U.S.? Can we take continued U.S. support for granted? How do we envision the security architecture of Europe after the war,” the letter emphasizes.

Orban also added that “the European Council is not in a position to take key decisions on the proposed security guarantees or additional financial support for Ukraine, to approve further strengthening of the EU sanctions regime or to agree on the future of the enlargement process until a consensus is found on our future strategy towards Ukraine.”

As the newspaper notes, Orban’s letter raises the stakes in the ongoing standoff between Budapest and Brussels, which is withholding EUR13 billion in EU funds from Hungary over concerns that the country is violating EU standards in the area of the rule of law.

Without explicitly stating this, the letter suggests that Budapest may use its veto power to block the disbursement of planned EUR50 billion in aid to Ukraine – funds needed to finance the Ukrainian government while its armed forces fight a full-scale Russian invasion.

In addition to the EUR50 billion, Orban threatens to block the planned EUR500 million in military aid to Ukraine, as well as the start of formal negotiations on Kyiv’s accession to the 27-member union, which the leaders had hoped to approve at the next European Council meeting on December 14 and 15.

According to one EU diplomat, who was granted anonymity to discuss the confidential discussions, Orban “mined” the entire decision-making process on Ukraine as part of a strategy to pressure the European Commission to allocate EUR13 billion to Hungary. The diplomat noted that while in other cases Budapest abstained from voting on key issues and allowed the EU to impose sanctions on Russia, in this case “I don’t see this happening.”

“For Hungary, this is not a matter of neutrality. It is about leverage,” the diplomat said.

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HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER ORBAN INVITED PUTIN TO BUDAPEST FOR TALKS WITH ZELENSKY – EUROPEAN MEDIA

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, suggested that he hold talks in Budapest with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky, European media reported.
“The answer was yes, but the Russian president says he has certain conditions,” Orban was quoted as saying by the media.
According to them, Orban said that he also invited French President Emmanuel Marcon and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Hungary for talks.
In turn, Bloomberg reported that, in addition, during the conversation, the Hungarian Prime Minister spoke in favor of a ceasefire in Ukraine.
According to Bloomberg, Orban also said that he did not refuse cooperation with Russia in the nuclear field.
In addition, according to Euronews, when asked whether Hungary would pay Russia for gas in rubles, Orban replied that “paying in rubles will not be a problem for us.” “If the Russians want to be paid in rubles, we will pay in rubles,” the Hungarian prime minister said.

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HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER ORBAN READY TO MEET WITH UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Hungarian Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás.
“Ukraine is a very important neighbor of Hungary. Therefore, we are ready to meet. It rests with Ukraine to decide,” Gulyás said in an interview with Varosh published on Thursday.
He stressed that there are no additional conditions for this meeting.
“The Hungarian Prime Minister is ready to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky,” Gulyás added.

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