Time is working against Ukraine. The money to finance the administrative machinery and guarantee the functioning of the country will run out in March. single lifeguard today is reform day european budget And 50 billion euro package It was suggested by Brussels to provide financial stability to Kiev. However, the decision is expected from the Prime Minister, the only European leader Viktor Orbanopposed to granting Blank check to Ukraine and demands to continue to exist ability to veto aid every year. Will his pulse finally stop?
That’s the question other European leaders are asking as they gather in Brussels at 10 a.m. extraordinary peak It called for a solution to something that was not possible in December: an agreement on aid to Ukraine and a review of the budget for the next four years. “We hope that wisdom and responsibility will prevail,” says a European diplomat, but “we will have to wait for the meeting to start to know Orbán’s room for manoeuvre. We want an agreement on the 27th, because that is the most efficient.” and the best way to spend the money in Ukraine, but we will not reopen the agreement in December,” adds another senior official.
So the text that will form the basis of the negotiation is the same, the same figures that 26 of the 27 European leaders agreed to last December. All except Orbán. A budget review 64.6 billion additional allocationOf this, 50,000 million (17,000 million in subsidies and 33,000 million in loans) will be given to Ukraine.
Gesture towards Budapest
To overcome Hungary’s veto compromise offer It includes a new paragraph pledging to hold an annual discussion on the implementation of aid to Ukraine for the next four years, based on the Commission report “with the aim of providing guidance to the EU’s approach to the situation arising from Russia” Consulted by EL PERIÓDICO of the Prensa Ibérica group the draft includes the phrase “war of aggression against Ukraine”. However, this does not include Hungary’s requirement that money sent to Ukraine be verified every year. Red line for many capital cities.
At a preparatory meeting of EU permanent ambassadors on Wednesday, Hungary’s representative showed his country’s willingness to “work intensively and constructively towards a solution” but insisted Hungary wanted the annual review to be followed “unanimously”. Diplomatic sources explain that this has been established as an “annual veto mechanism”. According to the same sources, all delegations had the same message regarding this claim: the paragraph on reviewing practice, not on principles, is acceptable, but the requirement to maintain veto capacity is unacceptable. “This is the red line of almost all delegations,” they say.
Tension and pressure
The tension and pressure experienced in recent days has increased so much that the discussion “blackmail“, after a document was leaked to the ‘Financial Times’, discussing boycotting their economies if an agreement is not reached on February 1. There are countries that even bring up the possibility of activating the nuclear button, Article 7 of the Treaty Withdrawal of Hungary’s voting rights in the Council. “We presented a compromise offer. In return, we were blackmailed by Brussels. We will defend our interests,” the Hungarian prime minister said on his account X this Tuesday. “The EU is not a memo distributed by someone,” replied another diplomat who participated in the negotiations.
The problem is that many European leaders have run out of patience. “Many countries see the war in Ukraine as an existential war, so they are frustrated. The level of tension is very high,” says another senior European official. “There disappointment and dissatisfaction“Adds another diplomat who denies the existence of any plans to collapse the Hungarian economy. In any case, if Orbán does not give up, the remaining European leaders are ready to continue providing aid to Ukraine at 26.” The agreement is 27 years old, you can’t say it was successful, but you also can’t say the EU was blocked. “We will find a solution one way or another,” says another diplomat consulted. plan A, will be plan b. There are different options on the table that are more cumbersome and complex, because they are intergovernmental solutions and will require the approval of national parliaments, but they are possible.