The Russian invasion

The Russian invasion|The response of the outside world 

Secret EU plan: Threat to sabotage Hungarian economy to get Ukraine aid  

 

The EU will sabotage Hungary's economy if the country continues to block a new aid package for Ukraine during this week's Council of Ministers summit. It shows secret documents that the Financial Times has seen. 

 

The document shows that Brussels plans to permanently stop EU aid to Hungary unless Prime Minister Viktor Orbán agrees to release the aid package on Thursday. The purpose is to frighten the market, trigger a mass sale of the country's currency and increase the country's borrowing costs.  

 

The FT describes the EU move as a significant escalation in the conflict between the union and the most pro-Russian member state. According to three EU sources, many countries support the proposal. Hungary's EU Minister János Bóka tells the newspaper that they were not aware of the threat, but that the country does not plan to "succumb to the pressure". 

 

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Ukraine: Had constructive talks with Hungary 

  

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked Hungary for talks characterized by "honesty, sincerity and constructiveness" on Monday, reports AFP.  

 

Kuleba met his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto in the city of Uzhhorod, not far from the Hungarian border, four days before an EU summit to discuss aid to Ukraine.  

 

Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak adds that both countries are interested in a meeting between leaders Zelenskyi and Orbán as soon as possible, writes Reuters. 

 

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Hungary: The EU is blackmailing us - we are open to support packages  

 

Hungary has notified the EU that it is opening the door to send 50 billion euros to Ukraine within the framework of the Union's budget. This is what Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's political director Balázs Orbán writes on Platform X.  

 

He also writes that it is "crystal clear" that the EU is blackmailing Hungary, and that Brussels "doesn't even try to hide it". He is referring to Financial Times reporting that there is a secret EU plan to sabotage the Hungarian economy if the aid package is not released. 

 

"Whatever happens, change is needed in Brussels," writes Balázs Orbán. 

 

The EU's Council of Ministers will meet on Thursday to discuss the Union's support for Kyiv.

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