The European Union reached a “low point” as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to throw a spanner in the works of Brussels.
Despite weeks of threats he would oppose the decision for the bloc to begin accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, the Hungarian leader backed down at the last minute by leaving the room at the moment of the vote, essentially abstaining from it.
Hours later, however, Mr Orban made Brussels’ work difficult again as he vetoed a €50billion (£43bn) four-year financial aid package for war-torn Ukraine.
Daniel Hegedüs, senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund think-tank, told the Financial Times: “It was a low point for the EU and a new high point of escalation.”
Eurosceptic Mr Orban has been at loggerheads with the EU in recent months due to Brussels’ decision to suspend €20bn (£17bn) of funding amid concerns relating to the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary.
Before last week’s summit, the European Commission agreed to release some of the frozen funds to Hungary, saying the country had enacted reforms strengthening judicial independence.
Mr Orban has stressed his opposition to issues regarding Ukraine is not linked to the EU funding, although on Friday the Prime Minister also said Hungary should “get what it deserves”.
EU leaders are now believed to be working to find ways to stop Mr Orban from thwarting the bloc’s support to Ukraine – which in turn strengthens Russia’s position in the ongoing conflict started by the Kremlin in February 2022.
A EU senior official who attended the summit told the FT: “Maybe Hungary can create more trouble. Maybe Hungary can force us to use a few different tools. But ultimately Hungary cannot stop us providing money to Ukraine.” The official added Mr Orban “isn’t Putin’s puppet, as some may think”.
Nevertheless, Mr Orban hasn’t shied away from his relations with the Russian President. In October, he was the only European leader to attend China’s Belt and Road Initiative Forum, where he held talks with Vladimir Putin and got photographed shaking his hand.
The veto on the financial aid package for Ukraine surely delighted Putin, as Ukraine is in dire need of more military and humanitarian support to carry on its fight in the grinding conflict.
Mr Orban’s opposition to the package was noted also by the Kremlin, with its spokesperson Dmitry Peskov praising the Prime Minister for being prepared to defend his country’s interests. Mr Peskov added Mr Orban was not the leader of a pro-Russian country.
The spokesperson went on to brand the step taken to bring Brussels and Ukraine closer a “politicised decision”.
He claimed: “Negotiations to join the EU can last for years or decades. The EU has always had strict criteria for accession and it is obvious that at the moment neither Ukraine nor Moldova meets these criteria.
“It is clear that this is an absolutely politicised decision, the EU’s desire to demonstrate support for these countries. But such new members could destabilise the EU.”
