The European Commission is reportedly willing to allow the Hungarian leader to opt out of the funding deal after one year
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban © Getty Images / Dursun Aydemir; Anadolu
European officials are reportedly prepared to bow to the demands of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban regarding the €50 billion ($54.6 billion) aid package for Ukraine, according to several senior EU sources who spoke with the Financial Times.
Budapest has been holding up the EU’s latest Kiev aid package since December. On the other hand, Orban has insisted on ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict through peace negotiations rather than prolonging the crisis. The Hungarian leader has also threatened to block Ukraine’s accession to the union, arguing that it posed many risks to the bloc and its economy, as well as the fact that Kiev is still “at war.”
In response, Brussels has been pressuring Budapest to release the funds, arguing that time was running short for Kiev, especially given that the US has also run out of aid money for Ukraine while Democrats and Republicans struggle to compromise on greenlighting additional funding for the country.
Earlier this week, however, Budapest softened its stance on the EU aid package, stating that it would consider lifting its veto in exchange for annual reviews on how the money was being spent over four years. According to Politico, under this plan, Kiev would receive €12.5 billion in grants and loans annually, which would be subject to unanimous approvals by the European Council.
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The Financial Times, citing three EU officials, has now claimed that Brussels is seemingly willing to accept these conditions and would allow Hungary to stop the funding deal halfway through if Kiev does not meet the requirements to receive EU aid in 2025
The annual audits of the aid would also be supplemented by an “emergency brake” clause, according to the Financial Times, which would allow any member country to put concerns about Ukraine payments up for discussion at an EU leaders summit.
These concessions, in addition to Brussels unlocking €10 billion in EU funding for Hungary last month, are likely to be enough to convince Orban to lift his veto on Ukraine aid, one senior Hungarian official told FT, noting, however, that Budapest’s ultimate decision is “still uncertain.”
