EUROPEAN Union head Ursula von der Leyen today said she was “confident” of getting Hungary to drop its veto on a €50 billion (RM256.3 billion) aid package for Ukraine at a crunch summit in two weeks.

Hungary’s right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban – Russia’s closest EU ally – refused in December to sign off on the assistance to prop up Kyiv’s state spending over the next four years.

The EU’s 27 leaders agreed to reconvene for a new meeting in Brussels on February 1 to try to hammer out a deal with Budapest on the aid and a broader update to the bloc’s budget.

“I am confident a solution at 27 is possible,” von der Leyen, the head of the EU’s executive arm, told the European Parliament.

Budapest has signalled it could compromise and might agree to the aid if it is given the chance each year to veto further payments.

Other EU states have so far baulked at that demand, and officials in Brussels are frantically trying to pitch a solution.

EU officials said if they cannot win over Hungary, the other 26 members would look to provide cash directly, outside the EU’s budget, but this was likely to be for a shorter time frame.

The EU said the billions of euros in budgetary support it has already given should tide Ukraine over for a few more months.

But Kyiv urgently needs a green light on the new funds as it seeks to keep government services running and pay salaries as Russia’s all-out war nears the two-year mark.

The European Commission headed by von der Leyen has faced criticism for last month unlocking €10 billion in frozen EU funds for Hungary as it sought to win over Orban.

EU lawmakers at today’s debate urged von der Leyen not to cave into “blackmail” from Orban and threatened a suit against the commission over the release of the funds.

Von der Leyen defended the decision to release the €10 billion to Hungary, arguing that Budapest had passed a new law on judicial reform, something requested by Brussels, to get the funds.

“At the same time, around €20 billion remains frozen. They are suspended for reasons that include concerns on LGTBIQ rights, academic freedom and asylum rights,” she said.

She said billions held up by Brussels “will remain blocked until Hungary fulfils all the necessary conditions”. – AFP, January 17, 2024.