EU leaders will try again to reach an agreement at an emergency summit early next year.
Making a decision on the new aid package for Ukraine was complicated by the fact that the continuation of financial support to Kyiv is part of the proposal for a long-term revision of the EU budget. The EU operates with a seven-year budget system, and the current common budget period is from 2021 to 2027.
This year, the EC proposed to provide financial support to Ukraine in the amount of 50 billion euros until 2027. Of this amount, 33 billion euros would be allocated as loans, and 17 billion euros as grants.
The delay in making the relevant decision is a blow to Ukraine, despite the agreement reached by the leaders of the European Union member states at the summit in Brussels on Thursday to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
“We expect that all the necessary legal procedures will be completed in January 2024, which will allow us to receive the relevant funding as soon as possible,” announced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was reasonably optimistic about reaching a deal with Orbán at the next EU summit.
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European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen vowed that the EC would use the time until the next summit to find a solution to Orbán’s veto “no matter what.” This means that the other EU countries could agree on a solution for delivering aid to Ukraine outside the EU budget.
Leyena emphasized that they are actively working on reaching a consensus, but added that they should also work on alternatives.
Orbán said in an interview with Hungarian state radio that the EU should unblock EU funding for Hungary before Budapest considers lifting its veto on further Ukrainian funding.
Orbán said this was a good opportunity for Hungary to insist that it should get what it deserves. “We want to be treated fairly and now there is a good chance of getting that,” he added.
2023-12-15 20:26:38
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