Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico joined the veto of his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban on financial assistance to Ukraine in the amount of EUR 50 billion over four years, Reuters reports.
The publication notes that during the joint press conference, Orban expressed the view that any financial mechanism for Ukraine should be separate from the EU budget, proposing the creation of a mechanism based on the distribution of assistance in accordance with gross national income. However, giving EUR 50 billion from the EU budget four years in advance is considered a violation of EU sovereignty and national interests.
According to Fico, Slovakia supports Hungary's position, and its government “would not support any measures limiting Budapest's rights inside the EU.” He also calls Orban's opposition to EU budget changes "legitimate" and says the Slovak government would back any proposals the Hungarian prime minister “has already put forward or will put forward."
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on December 15, Orban blocked the EU's allocation of EUR 50 billion for Ukraine.
Also on January 9, Finnish MEP Petri Sarvamaa initiated a petition to deprive Hungary of the right to vote in the Council of the European Union. On January 12, Sarvamaa announced that he had collected the necessary 120 signatures on a petition to deprive Hungary of the right to vote in the Council of the European Union.
The U.S. Department of State said it was "disappointed" by Orban's policy towards Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Budapest expressed its readiness to abandon the opposition regarding new long-term financing for Ukraine to the European Union.
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