Leaked: Hungary may contribute to establishment of arms purchase fund for Ukraine with special deal

A new compromise proposal from Brussels would take into account Hungary’s position that it will not supply arms to Ukraine. According to the plan, Hungarian state money for the new Ukrainian arms purchase fund would be spent on non-lethal weapons, Politico has learned from a document it received.

A special deal: helping Ukraine

In fact, under a further compromise advocated by Germany, Hungary might not even pay its annual HUF 23 billion (EUR 59.5 million) into the fund. Instead, it would directly assist the neighbouring country. Then, the amount could be deducted from the obligation to pay into the fund, Portfolio reports.

According to the newspaper’s Tuesday morning Brussels newsletter, at the EU summit this Thursday (1 February), the leaders of the member states are preparing to reach an agreement on the Ukraine Facility, replacing the European Peace Facility (EPF) with an annual EUR 5 billion. To this, the Hungarian government would also contribute with the aforementioned special deal.

Hungary helps, but differently

The Hungarian side had already indicated its willingness to do so at last Wednesday’s meeting of ambassadors of the member states, which is why the compromise proposal has been prepared, the paper explains. An annual amount of HUF 23 billion would have to be paid into this fund, which would be used for non-lethal equipment in Ukraine.