PM Orbán vetoed the EU’s EUR ~20bn military support for Ukraine, but remained alone
The majority of Europe’s leaders are arguing that the war should be continued and Ukraine should carry on fighting “with Europe continuing to shoulder not only the burden it has undertaken so far but also take over the financial and military burdens from America,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Brussels on Thursday.
Emergency summit in Brussels
On the sidelines of an emergency European Union summit, Orbán said in a video streamed on Facebook that the leaders of member states had listened to an address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and asked questions in order to gain an understanding of what the situation at the front line was and “what the situation in the Ukrainian president’s head is and what he thinks about the future”.
“At the front line the situation is unchanged; the fighting continues,” Orbán said. Orbán said the US had made it clear they would significantly reduce aid to Ukraine and had actually stopped aid entirely in some areas.
“Europeans are now grappling with the question of whether Ukraine should carry on with the war with Europe’s exclusive support … and the majority of leaders argue that the war must continue,” he said.
The European Council will revisit issues around Ukraine’s future in the evening, while participants will start discussing Europe’s future security system, Orbán said.
Orbán remained alone with his veto
According to Telex, PM Orbán remained alone with his veto on the EU conclusions on the continuation of sending military aid for Kyiv. However, he remained alone since even Slovakia backed the document despite Fico’s veto threat. The statement the 26 member states accepted says that the EU will support Ukraine in its fight against Russia as long as it takes.
Furthermore, “the 26 member countries said that there cannot be negotiations without Kyiv’s involvement; that Europe must have a seat at the table; that a truce must be a precursor to a long-term agreement; that Ukraine must have security guarantees; and that its territorial integrity must be respected.”
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