European Union foreign ministers called on Hungary to stop obstructing efforts to provide billions of euros in military aid to Ukraine. The long-standing tension with Budapest reached a boiling point during the meeting in Brussels.
Before the meeting of the EU's 27 foreign ministers began, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis accused Hungary of systematically blocking EU foreign policy decisions. "Almost all of our discussions and necessary solutions and decisions by the EU are being blocked by just one country," Landsbergis said. "We need to recognize this as a systematic approach against any efforts by the EU to play a meaningful role in foreign affairs."
Estonia and Italy also expressed frustration with Hungary's blocking tactics. Diplomats suggest Hungary's position often aligns with Russia's interests, though Budapest claims it is advocating for peace.
Inside the meeting, ministers expressed their frustration and urged Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto to lift Budapest's block on measures amounting to approximately 6.5 billion euros ($7.06 billion) in military aid for Ukraine. "Tempers ran quite high," said one diplomat. Multiple officials reported that the exchanges were among the most heated in years.
EU foreign policy decisions require unanimous support from all 27 member states. Szijjarto, in comments on Facebook, stated, "German, Irish, Polish colleagues created a scene, but that did not change our position, regardless of what the war-favouring politicians are shouting."
Landsbergis highlighted that Hungary was blocking decisions on EU military aid to Ukraine, the start of EU membership talks for Kyiv, and on Georgia and Armenia. "We found that about 41% of EU resolutions on Ukraine have been blocked by Hungary," he said. "It has gone very, very far. We need to find a way, as a community, to work around this."
Diplomats noted that Budapest is obstructing various measures linked to the European Peace Facility (EPF), an EU-backed fund that has provided billions of euros in military aid to Ukraine. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna emphasized the importance of these funds for both Ukraine and Europe.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani echoed this sentiment, saying, "We are against the blocking. We want to move forward."
Comments
Post a Comment