BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary is open to using the European Union budget for a proposed 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid package to Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s political director said on social media platform X.
Orban has been a vocal critic of the bloc’s support for Kyiv and kept ties with the Kremlin since Russia went to war in Ukraine in February 2022. He previously blocked a revision of the EU budget that included the Ukraine aid.
The Financial Times reported on Sunday that the EU would sabotage Hungary’s economy if Budapest blocks the aid at a summit this week.
Balazs Orban, the chief political aide to the prime minister, confirmed Budapest had sent a proposal to Brussels on Saturday showing it was open to using the budget for the aid package and issuing common EU debt to finance it if other “caveats” were added.
“Brussels is using blackmail against Hungary like there’s no tomorrow, despite the fact that we have proposed a compromise,” the adviser said.
($1 = 0.9219 euros)
(Reporting by Anita Komuves, Editing by Louise Heavens and Toby Chopra)
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