Hungary has once again blocked the disbursement of €500 million from the EU Fund, intended to reimburse member states for military aid to Ukraine
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticized Hungary for blocking further military aid to Ukraine at a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels on May 23
The €500 million tranche from the European Peace Fund, which supports Ukraine with weapons, has been blocked by Hungary. The reason is behind the largest commercial bank of Hungary – OTP Bank. OTP has become a focal point for officials in recent days as Hungary is refusing to approve more EU military aid for Ukraine until Kyiv removes the company from a “war sponsors” list it maintains.
Boris Pistorius stated that he is”somewhat disappointed or irritated by the behavior of our Hungarian friends” due to the aid blockade. He also added that Hungary did this for reasons “that I do not share and should not share.”
“It hampers the reimbursement of what other countries financed to support Ukraine. This is not the best move,” Pistorius said.
Germany and Hungary clashed on the morning of May 22 during a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels over the role of this bank in the Russian war.
On Tuesday, May 23, Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary told Bloomberg that he “doesn’t think Ukraine can win the war that Russia has started against it”.
