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The bloc published the joint statement without unanimous support, bypassing past policy
The European Commission (EC) has published a joint declaration calling for an increase in the flow of military aid to Ukraine without the unanimous support of EU leaders, following a summit in Brussels on Thursday. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, however, has once again refused to sign the document.
EC rules state that such documents require the unanimous support of all 27 EU members. Thursday’s joint statement was published as a short, three-sentence document, with the lengthy declaration calling for more military aid to Kiev added as an appendix, bypassing Orban’s veto. The subject will be raised again on Friday, it said.
Orban explained that he was opposed to the bloc’s “pro-war” position on the Ukraine conflict.
“We will not allow a common European position to be formed that includes Hungary and is pro-war,” Orban said in a statement after the meeting.
Earlier this month, Orban vetoed €30 billion (£32 billion) in proposed EU military aid for Kiev, arguing that would only result in the prolongation of the Ukraine conflict.
Commenting on the decision in an interview with the media, the Hungarian leader insisted that the bloc cannot afford to bankroll its eastern neighbor in its entirety. On top of funding its military, the EU would have to support all civic government in the country, as “Ukraine, as a state, is not functioning,” he said.
Moscow has repeatedly argued that the supply of Western arms to Ukraine only serves to prolong hostilities, while effectively making its foreign backers party to the conflict.
