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Hungary Blocks EU’s Ukraine Security Plan and $21 Billion Military Aid Package

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Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
Author
Hungary Blocks EU’s Ukraine Security Plan and $21 Billion Military Aid Package
Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban talks with Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico before the round table session on the second of the European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on March 22, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)

Hungary has blocked a proposed $21 billion (€20 billion) EU military aid package for Ukraine, further complicating European efforts to support Kyiv, Politico reported on March 4.

According to the publication, the EU had already committed $63.1 billion (€60 billion) in military assistance for Ukraine in 2025, and those funds remain secure. However, Budapest staunchly opposes the new €20 billion package.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been leading the resistance against additional aid, while Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has also declared that Slovakia will not provide any further financial or military support to Ukraine.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to present a new framework for increasing EU defense spending, but the latest draft of the European Council’s conclusions has already excluded the €20 billion military funding package proposed by Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas.

Hungary is taking full responsibility for blocking the additional Ukraine aid package, according to Politico. While Budapest may support strengthening Europe’s defense, it remains firmly against sending more military assistance to Kyiv.

The resistance from Hungary and Slovakia predates the recent shift in U.S. policy, where Donald Trump and Senator J.D. Vance signaled their opposition to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a White House meeting.

European Council President António Costa appears to have conceded in his attempt to persuade Orbán to support the aid package.

“I acknowledge that there are differences in how to achieve peace, particularly with the 'peace through strength' approach,” Costa wrote to Orbán.

However, he did note a “broad consensus” on the need for Europe to become “more sovereign, more capable, and better equipped” to address security challenges.

While Orbán and Fico have been vocal in their opposition, some diplomats privately suggest that other European capitals, including Paris, are not entirely opposed to the aid package progressing slowly, Politico reports.

Earlier, Hungary was pushing to have eight individuals removed from the European Union’s sanctions list targeting Russia and is demanding new guarantees related to Ukraine’s gas transit negotiations before agreeing to extend the sanctions.

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