The EU has found a way to override Hungary’s veto of €6bn in military aid to Ukraine: Bloomberg
The European Union is actively looking for ways to bypass the Hungarian veto, which prevents the provision of military aid to Ukraine in the amount of more than 6 billion euros. As writes Bloomberg, one possible way to solve this problem has already been identified.
According to the publication’s sources, the European External Action Service (EEAS) is considering the possibility of allowing individual EU member states to make voluntary contributions to the European Peace Fund. Such a scheme will allow states to direct funds to help Ukraine on the basis of individual decisions, avoiding the need to obtain a full consensus of all EU member states.
This decision can significantly facilitate the process of financing military aid, as it will allow countries that support the initiative to bypass the resistance of Hungary, which has been blocking this process for several months. At the same time, it remains an open question whether this initiative will be able to gain sufficient support among other EU members, as many decisions within the European Union traditionally require unanimous consent.
According to Bloomberg, EU ambassadors are planning a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the details of a possible solution. They will evaluate the prospects of such an approach and consider options for its implementation in practice.
For several months, Hungary has blocked the financing of military aid to Ukraine within the framework of the European Peace Fund in the amount of 6.5 billion euros. Budapest justifies its decision by fearing that the funds contributed to the fund may be spent on military support for Ukraine, which is contrary to Hungary’s interests.
In addition, recently the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, publicly stated that his country will continue to block the decision to grant Ukraine 6.5 billion euros until Kyiv resumes the transit of Russian oil through Lukoil.
