in three days Heads of State and Government of the European Union They will meet in Brussels at a major summit on Ukraine’s future EU membership, and they will do so with a veto threat from the Hungarian Prime Minister. Viktor Orban, is still on the table. Even the working dinner organized by the French president in Paris last Thursday Emmanuel Macron and its Hungarian counterpart have not paved the way for an agreement on additional financing, let alone technical work carried out in parallel by EU ambassadors. Ukraine nor will it initiate accession negotiations In 2024.
“I cannot imagine, and do not even want to talk about, the devastating consequences if the (European) Council does not take this decision, not only for Ukraine but also for enlargement more broadly.” The head of Ukrainian diplomacy warned this Monday: Dmytro KulebaAs he moves through the EU Council of Foreign Ministers in Brussels to put pressure on his European counterparts. “We did our duty. We hope the European Union will do its part,” he emphasized.
Kuleba explained that the Ukrainian parliament has already approved three of the four laws, and all three have been signed by the president. Volodymyr Zelensky– the European Commission has made the launch of accession negotiations conditional on the country’s approval before 3 March 2024, including the most important ones such as the appointment of a special anti-corruption prosecutor or the provision of training in minority languages; One of Budapest’s main demands is the protection of the Hungarian minority in the country.
“We don’t do anything terrible to minorities because they are our citizens. “They are all equal to us, regardless of their race, nationality or ethnicity,” Kuleba asserted, warning that Kiev could “jump” or “dance” when asked, but that this was necessary for a “fair game”. “If we are told to do something and we do it, that needs to be recorded as a consequence and used as the basis for making future decisions,” he insisted.
Hungary’s number three
Hungary not only prevents the start of negotiations with Kiev, which will take years, by claiming that it is not ready. At the moment, it is also not willing to unblock the 50 billion euro fund proposed by Brussels to guarantee Ukraine’s macro-financial stability in the next four years within the framework of the review of the Multiannual Financial Framework. Aid to finance arms purchases through the European peace fund or the 12th sanctions package. Brussels has blocked billions from Hungary for months, but could unlock a 10-billion item this week.
“The only way I can interpret Hungary’s stance, not only on Ukraine but on many other issues, is that they are against Europe and everything Europe represents. “I think this is a clash of ideologies between those who want Europe to be strong and those who do not want Europe or the European Union,” lamented the Lithuanian foreign minister. Gabrielius LandsbergisHe reminds that the decision taken by the leaders of the Twenty-Seven will have “tremendous repercussions” not only for Ukraine but also for other countries bordering Russia.
“This is one of the most important turning points in our debate on Ukraine, where we must make strategic decisions and commit to the victory of Ukraine, if we do not, the cost will be incredibly high,” he warned. The Finnish minister also expressed himself in the same critical tone: Elina Valtonen. “I’m not worried, but the situation in Hungary has been deplorable in recent months. “It is very important that we continue to help Ukraine,” he lamented.
The draft outcomes of the summit currently include a commitment to open accession negotiations with Kiev, but this outcome is not yet written in black and white as it would require the unity of the Twenty-Seven at the summit. “Only heads of state and government can decide,” diplomatic sources insist. “I hope that the unity of Europe will not be broken, because now is not the time to weaken our support for Ukraine, but on the contrary, to increase it,” the head of European diplomacy said. Josep Borrell. In addition to opening accession negotiations with Ukraine, the Twenty-Seven also needs to decide on: Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia and agree on a review of the European budget framework. Both decisions must be taken unanimously.