© Reuters
Josep Borel and Dmitry Kuleba
Dnevnik Express
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Ukraine has removed Hungarian bank OTP Bank from its list of “international war sponsors” – companies accused of financially supporting Russia’s invasion, Reuters reported, citing Ukraine’s National Corruption Prevention Agency, on Monday.
“During the discussions that continued over the last few days 24/7 with the participation of the EU External Action Service, OTP Bank made a number of commitments regarding its future plans for the Russian market,” the agency said.
The bank, which in Bulgaria owns DSK, was added to the list in May due to its ongoing operations in Russia.
Hungary has set a condition for Kiev to lift the European veto
Russian billionaire Megdet Rahimkulov is the bank’s largest shareholder with a stake of 8.8%.
Kiev hopes that by meeting Budapest’s condition on the bank, Hungary will lift its veto on the EU’s granting of 500 million euros in EU military aid. The money has been blocked since May, when Hungary vetoed the European decision. So far, there is no movement on the matter, Reuters adds.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that he has proposed that Ukraine receive up to 5 billion euros next year from the fund that finances the sending of military aid to Kiev. “I hope we can reach an agreement before the end of the year.” , Borel said at a press conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The European Peace Support Mechanism, established in 2021, is an EU instrument for extra-budgetary financing of defense and military activities within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
The EU convened its first “external” meeting in Ukraine, the money from the USA is in question
Kuleba called for speeding up the legal procedure for handing over frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.
This would be beneficial for both the EU and Ukraine, the Ukrainian foreign minister said. He argued that these assets could help finance Ukraine’s recovery after the Russian invasion.
Russia is “dedicating huge resources” to sow divisions among Kiev’s allies, Kuleba warned, urging the West not to play its game.
2023-10-02 18:14:22
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