Following the scandal between US President Trump and Ukraine, Kiev is receiving a lot of solidarity. A different tone is coming from Hungary.

Shortly before a special EU summit, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has announced a blockade of possible new support efforts for Ukraine. In a letter to EU Council President António Costa, which was obtained by Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Orbán wrote that he could not agree to a joint declaration by the EU heads of state and government on Thursday.

Zoltan Kovacs, the state secretary responsible for international government communications in Hungary, confirmed that the letter is authentic.

The threat from Budapest comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to abandon Ukraine in the fight against Russia if an agreement with Russia was not reached. He made serious accusations against Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky in front of the cameras at the White House.

##Orbán calls for direct talks with Russia

Orbán went on to write that there are “strategic differences in our approach to Ukraine that cannot be bridged by drafts or communication”. The EU should follow the example of the USA and hold direct talks with Russia on a ceasefire and an agreement in Ukraine.

It is therefore unlikely that the EU will be able to adopt new measures to support Ukraine at the special summit on Thursday. According to the EU’s External Action Service, there should ideally be an agreement in principle on a new EU package with military aid for Ukraine.

##Unanimity is needed for far-reaching decisions

However, far-reaching decisions must be made unanimously in the EU and Hungary had already announced last week that it intended to block the plans.

The initiative of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is aimed at strengthening Kiev’s position in the negotiations instead of pushing for peace, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced via the social network X. Hungary would not support spending European taxpayers’ money to prolong the war.

(Translated using DeepL)