Romain Rouillard 7:35 p.m., December 15, 2023, modified at 9:07 p.m., December 15, 2023
At the European summit, the joy was short-lived for Ukraine. Thursday evening, after the announcement by Charles Michel, President of the European Council, of the opening of accession negotiations with kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed a “victory for Ukraine” and even for “all of Europe “. Among the 27 member states, Hungary had long threatened to block this first step, before finally abstaining. No matter, its president Viktor Orbán did indeed use his right of veto on the night of Thursday to Friday to obstruct the payment of a support fund of 50 billion euros (33 billion in loan and 17 billion in donation) to a country still consumed by the war imposed on it by Russia.
Guest of Pierre de Vilno in Europe 1 evening weekend, Vadym Omelchenko, Ukrainian ambassador to France, rightly blamed Moscow for this decision. More precisely, the affinities between Viktor Orbán and his Russian counterpart. According to him, “it is the opinion of Vladimir Putin” which was expressed through this blockage, far from being surprising, he assures. “We were ready, we knew. We already knew his opinion, he had made it known publicly,” he recalls.
“Not the impression” of having been “forgotten”
On Europe 1, Vadym Omelchenko, however, made a point of emphasizing “the very proactive position of the French delegation” in favor of the support fund for Ukraine. This Friday, Emmanuel Macron called on Viktor Orbán to “behave like a European” and not take the EU “hostage”. The question of financial aid granted to Ukraine was also at the heart of the Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Washington at the start of the week. The Ukrainian leader tried to convince the American Congress to continue military and financial support for his country until the Russian threat was definitively removed. For the moment, the envelope of 60 billion dollars remains blocked across the Atlantic due to the opposition of several elected Republican officials.
Regarding the European Union, a new summit is already planned for the beginning of January, Charles Michel said this Friday. The latter said he was “extremely confident and optimistic” about the EU’s ability to keep its commitments to Ukraine. At a time when international eyes are also turning towards the Middle East where Israel and the Hamas terrorist movement are waging a merciless war, Vadym Omelchenko says, moreover, that he “does not have the impression” of having been ” forgotten” by the international community. “I feel a very strong solidarity, which I had never seen before,” he assures.
2023-12-16 16:28:24
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