The EU successfully pressured Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to approve a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid package to Ukraine, and EU leaders agreed to push through the spending on Thursday.
Ahead of the summit, Financial Times reported that the EU was threatening to sabotage Hungary’s economy if Orban vetoed the spending package. A European diplomat acknowledged to FT that the strategy was “blackmail.”
Orban also held one-on-one meetings with some other European leaders who convinced him to approve the aid.
The 50 billion euros is economic aid meant to be disbursed to Ukraine from 2024 to 2027. As part of the negotiations, Orban wanted a chance to veto payments to Ukraine each year. But EU officials refused that condition and settled on allowing regular reviews of the spending.
Orban portrayed his approval of the aid package as a victory and said Hungarian funds would not be going to Ukraine. “Mission accomplished. Hungary’s funds will not end up in Ukraine and we have a control mechanism at the end of the first and the second year,” he said. “Our position on the war in Ukraine remains unchanged: we need a ceasefire and peace talks.”
Orban’s government has come under fire from the EU and the US for its position on the Ukraine war and calls for peace. Orban has leveraged his veto power over Ukraine aid and sanctions on Russia to work toward securing EU funding that’s been cut off since he won re-election in 2022. The Hungarian leader has won some concessions, such as an exemption from the EU’s ban on Russian oil.
Ukrainian officials have said that without the EU aid and any new aid from the US, they would have to start cutting salaries and pensions for government workers. President Biden is still struggling to get Congress to approve the over $60 billion he’s seeking to continue to proxy war.
Great news. Now let’s threaten Johnson with something. Any ideas?
If you mean Speaker Mike Johnson – threaten to make him read a science textbook. He’s deathly afraid of those.
I posted this in the thread below the most recent Ukraine story, but that’s stale, so here we go again:
ICJ Rules Against Ukraine on Terrorism, MH17
The US may have to invade the Hague sooner than expected.
Sure the ICJ rejected much of the Ukrainian case – mostly on technicalities however:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/31/icj-rejects-most-of-ukraines-terrorism-case-against-russia
Do you really think you’ve made a point, with selective excerpts, that somehow changes the fact that the ICJ overwhelmingly ruled against Ukraine? Or do you just want readers here to think that? You know, in the same way Israel supporters try to twist the meaning of the court’s ruling in the genocide case.
“Technicalities” = “the law”
“The Court also said it had no evidence to show that any of the armed militias in Donbass fighting against the government could be characterized as terrorist groups.”
It added that the court “rejects all other submissions made by the Ukraine.”
But enough of the cherry-picked quotations. Let’s just let people read the articles.
Seems you do not understand the term – the ICJ was not acquitting the Russians as much as they were pointing out that Russia was not guilty according to the specific paragraph.
A court ruling on something alleged? Interesting view you have there.
“Ahead of the summit, Financial Times reported that the EU was threatening to sabotage Hungary’s economy if Orban vetoed the spending package.”
Brexit proponents must be smiling with that “we told you so” kind of delight you only get from predicting inevitabilities & avoiding them.
Given that what the EU was threatening was the kind of sabotage that Brexit imposed on UK all by themselves – I somehow doubt that they have much to be smiling about.
I.e. what EU was threatening was to withhold some of the advantages of EU membership.
Like falling in line, or else……………….
Yes or else risk losing some of the advantages of membership of the club. Or in other words Hungary having joined a club as a supported member, wanting to veto the decision of the other club members risk that they will be losing the goodwill of the club. Really surprising – not.
Perhaps you missed my point, M64 ?
One of the tenets of Brexit proponents was that the EU would force policies on Britain, social and economic, that overrode British self-determination. Brexit opponents claimed the EU was incapable of such authoritarianism.
Now we see the EU forced policies on a member state. In this regard, Brexit proponents have been proven correct – when push comes to (unnecessary) shove, the EU absolutely will (and just did) coerce a member into “correct-thinking” with direct economic threat – economic unity having itself been the very carrot drawing the EU into existence.
If Britain experienced downsides to leaving the EU, whether organic or vindictive (in)action by the EU itself, that is not relevant and does not negate that proponents were correct in worrying of potential EU bullying of member states.
Correct they did claim this
Incorrect they mostly did not claim this – what they did claim was that UK would be bound to most of the same policies but in a post Brexit UK without any say in these policies – as indeed has turned out to be the case.
No voting to allow EU support for Ukraine is not forcing a policy on Hungary – Hungary is not going to pay and no Hungarian policies have to change – no laws nothing have to change in Hungary.
No what EU did was to force the Hungarians to opt between the advantages of EU membership (really just voting rights in this case) and the prerogative of being able to prevent the net payers to assign funds they pay for a different purpose.
As indicated Hungary will not be paying neither their domestic nor their foreign policies need change so there is nothing authoritarian in this at all.
But being in EU certainly force policies on members, social and economic, that overrode limit their self-determination, or force them to opt between the advantages of membership and implementing such policies. But any member can at any time decide that leaving EU is more valuable to them than implementing any policy that they together with EU have decided to implement – hence EU is much less authoritarian then e.g. the US is towards the states of the US.
The EU is an experiment that should never have gone beyond making available a uniform currency and the Schengen. Pushing it beyond this point to be a political union was and remains a disaster.
Ask most well informed Brexiteers and they will tell you that EU was fine until they wanted to introduce the Euro and Schengen – UK was not in Schengen and did not join the Euro exactly because they were not comfortable with these even before Brexit.
Once the Euro were introduced much of the political union stuff had to follow otherwise things would fall apart – it is exactly because of such internal forces in a common currency area that many were against or concerned by a common currency.
https://news.yahoo.com/brexit-people-damning-verdict-four-064534312.html
https://imgflip.com/i/8efwew
Another successful sinking of a Black Sea Fleet Ship.
Putin lovers like to call it a “PR Stunt,” I call it a good hit with huge return on investment.
Bring Russian Soldiers Home!
Glory to Ukraine!
https://youtu.be/b_ge02UP8ng?si=zuRfIQjpdv6fhAZo
Ukraine has no “glory”, just corruption, incompetence, slavery and death. A bitch puppet of USA neocons.
That’s what you Kremlin puppets repeat.
And you are confused. There is NO glory in Russia, just corruption and incompetence as shown over the last two years.
Now go back to your Propaganda Flash Cards and reflect on your stupid comment.
Did you get breakfast today, need me to mail you some eggs?
Glory to Ukraine dish!t.
Bring Russian soldiers home.
I feel so very chastised. 🙂
You should.
It’s not a victory for Hungry, it’s a victory for Zelenski. He gets more money to fight until the last Ukrainian. Not sure who is more despicable, EU governments or ours?
He’s not getting any money to fight from this aid. It’s all supposed to be used for, “macroeconomic stability,” as Ukraine’s economy minister put it. Also, it’s going to be spread out over four years, and Ukraine expects a budget shortfall of more than $40 billion this year.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/will-western-aid-plug-ukraines-gaping-budget-deficit-2024-2024-01-31/
Europe cannot afford guns and butter. Soon citizens in Europe will awaken and angry mobs will burn the witches at the stake.
The only “witch” that needs burning is Putin; and it seems to be going down that road.
Deranged hatred of Russia and President Putin is merely racism. That make you a racist of the worse kind!
I’m a white guy criticizing another white guy for his illegal invasion of a sovereign country.
I think you’re gonna need to explain to me how I’m “racist”. I’ll wait…
The white guy didn’t invade Ukraine. Russia did.
So, now you believe Putin didn’t order the “SMO”?
Of course he did. No different than Biden ordering the bombing of Yemen. Is Biden a dictator?
Who said anyone was a dictator?
Putin ordered the invasion.
You wrote: “ The white guy didn’t invade Ukraine. Russia did.” Wire fuy ordered it. Are you just being an ass about the semantics?
I’m assuming you must think Putin is a dictator if you think this is his, and only his, war. Putin is no different than Biden other than the senility thing. Either one of them croaks overnight, their machines roll on.
Your last sentence may be true but you’re woefully wrong to compare the two. Putin is an oligarch who has few limits on his power. Dark Brandon has congress to deal with (just look at the border/Ukrainian aid package); AND, no matter what, he can only be president for 4 more years.
But the rest of those comparisons aren’t relevant to what we are talking about. Russia’s foreign policy isn’t based on just Putin’s whims. It’s a tossup of whether things would get better or worse if he was gone. I wouldn’t expect much of a change. By the way, I’d be willing to guarantee that none of his wannabe successors will be willing to give up Crimea.
“Wire fuy…”
Wire Fuy sounds like a badass Peoples’ Liberation Army special-forces operative. I’m SO stealing that name for a future writing project.
I admit, that was a wierd Spell Check correction but you’re welcome to it. (I agree it’s a great name!)
Don’t bother with Critical Shithead.
That guy is truly a Racist, KKK Nazi type especially against blacks and Ukrainians. It was the beginning of my blogging battle with him and why I blocked him. He is on record here from about two years ago being on your face racist. He even admitted it. Ironically, he gained a lot of fans, the usual ones here. Even Donna the “peace activist” gives him lot of likes and cheers him.
Lots of sickos here.
I know the type! Pretty easy to spot a racist. They project like hell! Anyway, typical racist is usually a total moron as well. THAT was pretty easy to detect!
Oh Donald – whining about racists while pretending he isn’t. Taking shots at Donnatella after being called out for lying about her, and bragging how he’s run away like a scared child by blocking every Commenter (except me, strangely) who points out his epic horsesh*ttery.
I still like you, Donald, even if you’re a “failed state” of a thinker.
Well, for bringing skin color & perceived “race” onto a thesis where it doesn’t belong.
“I’m a white guy criticizing another white guy for his illegal invasion of a sovereign country” is as relevant as saying “I’m a tall guy criticizing another tall guy for his illegal invasion of a sovereign country.”
I didn’t bring racism into the discussion. That dips**t did. (But my point was certainly that a white guy cannot be racist against another white guy. That isn’t the way racism works.)
Racism works as a tool for disparaging another race that’s different than your own. There are various reasons one disparages another race.
I hope that clarifies the back-and-forth that was occurring here.
Russia’s not a race.
Nor is hating Whitey Bulger and the Winter Hill Gang the same thing as hating Boston or the Boston Irish.
“Russia’s not a race.”
Nor is Chinese, hispanic, Asian, black, Oyresh, or ANYONE homo sapien sapien.
Unfortunately, in this century, the concept of discrimination has been so subdivided into “-isms” and “bigotry” and other words for ‘more acceptable’ forms of discrimination that only capital-R “Racism” remains an agreeable ‘worst of the worst’.
Therefore if we (by necessity) classify EVERYTHING objectionable as ‘racism’, then we as humanists have one single target to eliminate. Either all ‘racism’ is wrong and we oppose ALL of it, or, some is OK because it “isn’t REALLY ‘racism’, you know…”
Like “genocide” (which I wish SOME Commenters would notice) – if we call everything murderous ‘genocide’ (and a case can be made that every war is) ane act with fervor to end all (ALL) ‘genocides’ as they unfold, then we END MURDEROUS WARS regardless of semantics.
“…hating Whitey Bulger…” is not racist.
“…hating Whitey…” totally is.
Russian Slavic people are a race of a national origin and Russophobia is a well recognized racist bent of America and Western Europe. Russia’s eyes are now open and never again will they agree to unequal treaties.
The Russian Federation isn’t just made up of “Russian Slavic people.” There are, among others, considerable numbers of Tatars, Chechens, Bashkirs, Chuvash, Avars, Armenians, Ukrainians, Dargins and Kazakhs.
Race can be a pretty fuzzy concept, but not agreeing completely and enthusiastically with every Kremlin press release is neither racism nor Russophobia.
Thank you for your opinion everyone has one. Yours is just wrong!
You might educate yourself on Russophobia:
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31759324802&dest=usa&ref_=ps_ggl_17730880232&cm_mmc=ggl-_-US_Shopp_Trade_10to20-_-product_id=COM9780997896527USED-_-keyword=&gclid=CjwKCAiAq4KuBhA6EiwArMAw1C4jQvZxwbdbO6Thn3L2J8ACiZU24o2A4Uk88kh_LMva5826oLuaexoC65cQAvD_BwE
And when a more hardliner replaces him, then what?
Destroy him too.
Sure, until we find another Boris Yeltsin. That’ll happen. /s
Yes, someone who can be lured by a bottle of fine Vodka.
So, it’s just “interfere in other country’s politics” all the way down then, is it ?
The USA seems to hate it when that allegedly happens to them…
This is the EU, it’s leaders are as Corrupt as Ukraine. The EU, what a joke, all they do is preach about Democracy, yet enjoy watching the Genocide of Palestinians, doing nothing to STOP it. Why? They have gone to kiss the ass of the Devil, did they bother to visit Gaza, to see the result of their money going to Israel? Have they sanctioned Israel, like they love to sanction Syria? Besides causing wars, increasing abortions, spreading deviant behavior, having meetings to look for new targets, what is the EU good for?
EU money for war , no money for EU citizens struggling to survive EU taxes ect ect ect . talk about getting your priorities wrong .
That’s why I say about Russia. Russia money for war, no money for Russian citizens struggling to survive a brutal Russian winter. A natural gas rich country with its citizens freezing to death because they have a collapsing heating infrastructure but spending all of their money to take land from Ukraine.
How dumb, right?
Pressured? No. Actually, the Scions of the European “Union” blackmailed Hungary with the prospect of economic ruin if her government didn’t capitulate to the ultimatum of that bastardization of Democracy’s demand.
Sick Russian propagandist at its best. The Kremlin control the media and lets them say whatever sick sh!t they want.
This is the reason Putin’s war is going from bad to worse and it will never get better.
https://youtu.be/gUxh2-vd86A?si=5j1wwCUEPnA6e8EJ
The EU and Biden are spending blood money to fund Ukraine’s endless war and Israel’s endless genocide. They have blood on their hands and so does Netanyahu. Dracula would drink the blood on their hands if he existed.
They have blood in their hand for helping Ukraine fight for its independence and freedom?
How about Putin invading and annexing their land while killing thousands of Ukrainians? Does he not have blood in his hands?
Putin fluffer.
Let’s help them out. Putin does not own neighboring countries. He will bully them for as long as he knows he can.
https://youtube.com/shorts/IVLrILXgLFc?si=3NXAVyII5Ufn5HCV