European Union leaders agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine despite its ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion, but Hungary blocked a 50 billion euro financial aid package for Kyiv.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban exited the room at a summit in Brussels while the heads of state reached the momentous consensus to initiate accession talks with a war-torn nation.
Orban is a stumbling block to reorganizing the EU budget in a way that would have allowed them to aid Ukraine more effectively and free up funds for other EU priorities.
The leaders concluded negotiations on the financial package, which requires the consensus of all 27 EU leaders early today. In January, they vowed to try again, expressing optimism that a deal could be reached at that time.
As a non-member state of the EU, Orban has argued that Ukraine should not receive such substantial funding from the EU budget. Other leaders have assured Kyiv that if Hungary maintains its blockade, they will channel assistance to Ukraine outside the EU budget.
