Once again, Orban is at odds with Europe

The European Union wants to continue supporting Ukraine “as long and as intensely as necessary.” This was stated in the provisional final statement issued by the European Union summit in Brussels. Not all countries have agreed on this yet: Hungary is obstructing again, says European correspondent Stefan de Vries. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in particular has difficulty with the phrase “intensive as necessary.”

Hungary has often resisted recently, both in the European context and within NATO. In addition to the language on support, Hungary is also unwilling to agree to the European Commission's plan to use 90% of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets, about 2 to 3 billion euros annually, to buy weapons for Ukraine. The remaining 10% is for non-military aid, so that member states that prefer not to supply weapons can also agree.

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But this is not enough for Hungary. Prime Minister Orban demands that not a single euro flow into the arms fund, or that Hungary be excluded from the fund completely. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Hungary's objection did not stand up. “Their share is not used for this purpose,” he insists. “But leave the others alone.”

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Borrell hopes to reach an agreement quickly. Earlier this week, outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte did not expect any obstacles to the plans. “I think it's going to be OK,” he said at the time.

compromise

The final agreement is expected to be another compromise. “It is very likely that this sentence will be changed,” says de Vries. But the essence will remain the same, which is unconditional support for Ukraine.”Whatever you take – whatever it takes'.