EU leaders are discussing a proposed top up of the bloc’s common budget, and as expected, the Prime Ministers of Hungary and Slovakia oppose a €50 billion aid package for Ukraine, Politico reports, citing a diplomat briefed on the leaders' discussions.
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán said that EU support doesn’t work, which is a point he made publicly also ahead of the briefing. Slovakia’s Robert Fico cited corruption concerns in Ukraine, the diplomat said.
Updating the EU’s budget needs the backing of all 27 EU members.
While Brussels hopes to convince Hungary to drop its veto by releasing part of the country’s EU funds, held up in a long-running dispute over the rule of law, the EU now faces another headache with Slovakia. A decision on the bloc’s budget update is due by year’s end to ensure continued support to Kyiv, as current EU funding for the war-torn country is set to finish then.