Hungary blackmails EU over arms funding for Ukraine
Hungary “refuses to even discuss” the European financing of further weapon deliveries to Ukraine until Kyiv restores the rights of Hungarian minorities in the country and removes Hungarian bank OTP from the list of international financers of the war, the foreign minister said on Thursday.
The discussion on the war again made it clear that the voice of peace must be strengthened, “because the overwhelming majority is still busy talking about the war,” Péter Szijjártó said after an informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Toledo, in Spain, according to a ministry statement.
The majority took a stand for maintaining weapon deliveries, he said. That approach and an EU proposal that would earmark an annual 5 billion euros for military aid in the next 4 years showed that “everyone is calculating with a long war”, he said.
“Unfortunately, I was once again the only one to speak out against that approach today. We don’t want another four years of war; we want it to end as soon as possible,” he said.
Hungary was under enormous pressure to vote for the next 500 million euro installment for weapon deliveries for Ukraine, and a 20 billion euro package for the next 4 years, he said. That would mean that some 80 billion forints (EUR 210.4m) of Hungarian taxpayer money, “who bear no responsibility for the war“, would go towards that effort, he said.
Hungary refuses to discuss that proposal until Ukraine removes OTP from its list of the international sponsors of war, Szijjártó said.
“It’s an enormous contradiction that while Hungary is expected to pay tens of billions from Hungarian taxpayers’ money for weapon deliveries to Ukraine, the same country is branding a bank handling the accounts of 3 million Hungarians an international sponsor of the war,” he said.
Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, proposed a meeting between himself, Szijjártó and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, but the latter rejected the offer, Szijjártó said. According to Borrell, OTP Bank has not violated EU regulations or sanctions, he added.
Regarding the situation of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, Szijjártó insisted that the “Ukrainisation” of some 15,000 students was about to start from 1 September. Meanwhile, Hungary is schooling some 5,000 Ukrainian refugee children, he said.
He said the new regulations coming into force in Ukraine were a “grave violation of international law”, adding that Hungary would see that as a priority when the assessment of the country’s application for EU membership starts this autumn.
Hungary will also stand fast regarding proposals on sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry, he said.
“Not only because it’s against national interests but also because sanctions against the nuclear sector are an excellent example of sanctions ruining the competitiveness of Europe’s economy and of how they take us for fools,” he said.
The US more than doubled Uranium imports from Russia in the first half of 2023, he said.
Speaking about the situation in west Africa, Szijjártó said that unless the region managed to achieve stability, calm and peace, it could be a source of new migration waves to Europe which the bloc could not handle.
“Rather than helping [the countries] defending its external borders … Brussels continues to inspire migration,” he said.
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10 Comments
The European Union does a lot of good. It can obviously do better.
However – look at how the UK has fared, post-Brexit. Sovereign, exceptionalist, and their population demonstrably worse off.
With all the tenacity our Politicians defend Russia, you´d almost start to think they have a stake of some sort.
to again quote British foreign secretary Mr. Cleverly, the UK wants to maintain an economic relationship with China, but he added: “National security comes first and if there is ever a situation where our security concerns are at odd with our economic concerns, our security concerns win out.”
The same should apply to Russia, no?
Money collected by the EU from member states was for the use of people of the EU and not to finance the total destruction of Ukraine. So far, the results of weapons have not ensured Ukraine expelling the Russian invaders. So far, millions of people left the country, and these people will never return. So far, 1/2 million Ukrainians have died or injured, and many cities destroyed. It is time for diplomatic solution in order save the remainder of the cities and people.
Just kick Hungary out of the EU and NATO. Problem solved. It can’t come soon enough. Not a single filler of EU money into the hands of Fidesz. Let them fail and Hungarians will wake up.
So far, so far, so far, …. I’ll continue – So far, Ukrainian people have undeniably proven their strong will to be a soveirgn nation and doing everything they can to oust the brutal invaders who are killing and raping Ukranian peopple and destroying the Ukranian infrastructure. The support for Ukranian heroic defence of their homeland must continue or we will be facing more Russian agression on the near future. Crush the invading forces and bring the war crominals to face justice.
Russia only listens to force so the west has to show them force. So far, the west has shown too little force towards Russia.
@mariavontheresa – could we please leave it to the Ukrainian people to decide if their sacrifice is worth it?
Greetings from Hong Kong – where there are lots of people who are now afraid to speak out in any way, much less have the discourse we are engaging in, on this platform. Even whisper in a public place. We have forgotten about those times.
“What is that knock on the door?” #liveinfear
Its a small point but blackmail is not the correct word to use.
The definition of blacmail is….
the act of getting money from people or forcing them to do something by threatening to tell a secret of theirs or to harm them
What is happening here is Hungary is legally allowed to refuse to agree to throwing money to Ukraine.
Orban has HUNG us Hungary, with any FURTHER relationship, as long as his name is associated with any dealings with the European Union.
Orban, all associated with his “Warped” Political ideology & philosophies, they continue exhibiting at every opportunity to OPPOSE the European Union.
Hungarians are they growing waking up to this FACT ???
The future of Hungary, without European Union Membership, plus NATO plus relationships with ALL Global country’s GOVERNED under DEMOCRACY, proceeds on a path of BLACKNESS & Gloom.
Hungary – we can’t stand exist alone.
Orbans continuing acceleration deepening relationships with Russia & China, ask this question:
Are Russia & China going to INVEST into Hungary with an endless cheque book – supply of monetary in-put ???
If that’s the THINKING of millions of Hungarians or they LIKE living in the Orban Governments abandonment of DEMOCRACY, growing in movement to a Dictatorship, the future will be of Blackness & Gloom.
REMEMBER – nothing is going to get CHEAPER in Hungary.
The “Brand” name of Hungary has been Tarnished and Deeply Scared and Battered – by Orban and his Government, and as long as the name Orban / Fidesz have POWER and Rule us Hungary, we will as a country, in the DEMOCRATIC world, sink to a lower place, that falls under of having no RESPECT, which could be said we occupy at this immediate time.
Could someone explain why a person, or a country vote should for something that they so not believe in? Voting for something that is against one’s principle is tantamount of being a hypocrite.
mariavontheresa – just like your BELOVED -Victor Orban in 1989 taking to the stage in Hero’s Square in Budapest, Hungary, singing the needs of Hungary of DEMOCRACY – the way of our FUTURE embrace it – after decades of Russian Communistic Government control.
You-tube it – marievontheresa – and remembering that History never Lies, but your BELOVED – Victor Orban has LIED and not practicing what he PREACHED in August 1989.
Deplorable, you have not answered my question. Why would support something that is wrong?