EU seeks to bypass Hungary's veto on military aid to Ukraine
The EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, stated on Thursday that he would seek ways to bypass the veto of "one country," referring to Hungary blocking €6 billion for Ukraine. Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, wishes to discuss with his German counterpart the potential limitation of Berlin's assistance.
29 August 2024 10:21
Borrell and Kuleba met with journalists before the informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Union countries in Brussels.
The EU's chief diplomat mentioned Hungary blocking the eighth tranche of €6 billion from the European Peace Facility, which reimburses EU countries for equipment provided to Ukraine.
Kuleba emphasized that, given the current situation where Europe's future is in jeopardy, financial support for Ukraine should not be up for financial debate. He stated that he doesn't want to bring up the amount of money that has been used to address other crises in Europe, but noted that these amounts are far greater than what has been allocated to Ukraine.
He also announced that he would seek a conversation with the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, about the possible limitation of support for Ukraine by this country.
The German newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported in mid-August that in the current and future German budget there will be no new funds for this purpose, which means that the announced equipment will be delivered, but additional applications submitted by the German Ministry of Defence will be rejected.
Borrell and Kuleba emphasised that in light of the recent massive Russian aerial attacks, it is crucial to deliver the air defence support promised to Ukraine by its allies.
Borrell agreed with Kuleba, emphasizing that well-armed Ukrainian forces have the potential to alter the trajectory of the war. He highlighted that it's not just about Ukraine's ability to defend itself, but also about utilizing the supplied equipment to strike military targets within Russian territory.
