All 27 European Union countries have agreed a £43 billion (€50 billion) aid deal for Ukraine, in a major blow for Vladimir Putin and a massive boost for Kiev.
European Council President Charles Michel said the 27 EU countries sealed the deal just over an hour after the start of a summit of bloc leaders, despite threats from Hungarian leader Viktor Orban – Russia's closest EU allies – to veto the move.
“We have a deal,” Michel said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He wrote that all “27 leaders agreed on an additional support package of 50 billion euros ($54 billion) for Ukraine within the EU budget.”
The announcement came despite strong objections from Hungary in December and in the days leading up to Thursday's summit in Brussels.
Michel said that this move “ensures stable, long-term and predictable financing for Ukraine” and shows that “the EU is taking leadership and responsibility in supporting Ukraine; We know what's at stake.'
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal welcomed an agreement.
“Each of your votes is an essential contribution to our common victory,” Shmygal said in a message on social media thanking member states, adding that the agreement was a sign of “solidarity” and “unity” in of the 27-member Union.
All 27 European Union countries have agreed a £43bn deal to help Ukraine, in a major blow for Vladimir Putin and a massive boost for Kiev
European Council President Charles Michel said the 27 EU countries sealed the deal just over an hour after the start of a summit of the bloc's leaders, despite threats from Hungarian leader Viktor Orban – the EU's closest -ally of Vladimir Putin (pictured) – to veto the move
EU leaders increased pressure on Orban ahead of the summit as the unpredictable Hungarian leader took center stage again.
The latest EU showdown came against a backdrop of growing protests by European farmers who, in a show of force with 1,300 tractors, clogged roads around the summit, lit fires and tore down a city statue.
Orban sparked fury among his 26 counterparts in the bloc when he thwarted a December agreement that kept urgently needed funds flowing to Kiev, nearly two years after Moscow's invasion began.
When he arrived at the summit, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the goal must be a unanimous agreement on maintaining aid. “We need an agreement with 27,” he told reporters. “We shouldn’t be looking for workarounds.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte struck an optimistic tone, saying he was “cautiously optimistic” that an agreement could be reached if Hungary was willing to compromise.
Michel's announcement comes as a surprise.
The fight against Orban, a veteran of numerous disputes with Brussels, is unlikely to be easy, and the political arm wrestling in the EU capital should last for hours.
Orban, the EU leader with the closest ties to Russia, is angered by the European Commission's decision to freeze his government's access to some bloc funds. The executive did so due to concerns about possible threats to the EU budget from democratic backsliding in Hungary.
In response, Hungary vetoed statements to the EU on a number of issues.
Orban has also spread the problem to NATO by blocking high-level meetings with Ukraine until recently. Budapest is also holding back Sweden's application to join the military organization.
Orban sparked fury among his 26 counterparts in the bloc when he thwarted a December deal that kept urgently needed funds flowing to Kiev, nearly two years after Moscow's invasion
On the way to their meeting, several government colleagues had sharply criticized Orban, accusing him of blackmail and political games that undermined support for Ukraine and the country's war-ravaged economy.
“I don't want to use the word blackmail, but I don't know what other better word could fit,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told reporters as she arrived at EU headquarters today ahead of the deal's agreement.
“Hungary needs Europe,” she said, citing the country’s economic problems and high interest rates.
“He should also examine what it means for Hungary to be in Europe.”
It was not immediately clear whether the EU had agreed to any concessions with Hungary in exchange for agreeing the Ukraine aid deal.
Almost two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the war has come to a standstill and Ukraine's economy urgently needs support.
But political infighting in the EU and the United States has blocked a long-term source of funding as Ukraine reportedly runs out of both fire and manpower.
There are concerns that public support for continuing to pump money into Ukraine is also beginning to wane, even though a Russian victory could embolden Putin and threaten security across Europe, particularly in the east.
“There is no problem with so-called Ukraine fatigue. “We now have Orban fatigue in Brussels,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters on Thursday. “I can not understand. “I cannot accept this very strange and very selfish game by Viktor Orban.”
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