Arr, Hungary and Slovakia be sharin' a common tune o' agreement on European Union's grand plan fer aidin' Ukraine!
2024-01-16
Arr! The captains o' Hungary and Slovakia be settin' sail on th' same course, ye see! They be agreein' on the dire need to overhaul th' European Union's plan t' provide gold doubloons to Ukraine, arrr!
The leaders of Hungary and Slovakia have agreed to rework a European Union plan to provide financial assistance to Ukraine. This is a potential win for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who previously blocked EU efforts to approve funding for Ukraine. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico supports Orbán's position that the EU should not finance Ukraine's planned $54 billion aid package from the bloc's common budget. Both leaders also agree that the war in Ukraine cannot be resolved through military means. Fico praised Orbán's proposals for a review of the budget and aid to Ukraine, considering them rational and sensible. The EU is now scrambling to salvage the funding package for Ukraine that Orbán vetoed in December. Unanimity is required for decisions affecting the EU budget, and Orbán was the only leader to vote against the funding. EU leaders are set to meet again on February 1 to attempt a deal, but Orbán's veto power remains a factor. Fico supports Orbán's recommendation to separate the funding into four installments that can be reassessed and potentially blocked each year. Fico is seen as a potential ally for Orbán in his disputes with the EU, as his party won elections on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform. Some critics believe that Orbán has used his veto power to gain access to frozen funds withheld from Hungary by the EU. Last week, a group of EU lawmakers signed a petition calling for Hungary to be stripped of its voting rights due to Orbán's repeated violations of EU values.