Scholz increases pressure on Orban
Almost all member states agree that the EU summit in Brussels should pledge billions in aid for Ukraine. But Hungary's Prime Minister Orban is against it. He also considers accession talks with Kiev to be a bad idea. Chancellor Scholz is still trying to change Orban's mind before the decisive summit.
In the dispute over further billions in aid for Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has increased the pressure on Hungary. In the EU, "almost all member states agree that we must continue to stabilize Ukraine's budget with a total of 50 billion euros in the coming years," said Scholz in his government statement on the upcoming EU summit in the Bundestag. However, Hungary had not yet agreed to this.
"Europe's security is at stake," explained the Chancellor. "I will advocate sustainable, reliable financial support for Ukraine for the coming years," he added with a view to the consultations of the EU heads of state and government in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. The German government "expressly" supports the planned start of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
Selenskyj is "still waiting" for Orban's answer
Hungary's head of government Viktor Orban is threatening to veto the decisions in favor of Ukraine. Shortly before the EU summit, he once again warned against accession talks, calling them a "terrible mistake". The decisions of the EU summit require consensus among the member states.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj has already sharply criticized this stance. He had asked Orban to give him a single reason for his opposition on the accession issue, Selenskyj said during a visit to Norway. "I am still waiting for an answer," he emphasized.
Eight billion euros earmarked for arms deliveries in the 2024 budget
In order to stabilize Ukraine's budget in the coming years, the German government would make more money available, according to government circles. Germany is also in favor of continuing the so-called European Peace Facility for Ukraine, which finances military aid. National supplies should be included in this, said Scholz.
The Chancellor emphasized that, in addition to aid via the EU, the German government had earmarked a further eight billion euros for arms deliveries to Ukraine in the 2024 federal budget. This would be supplemented by more than six billion euros for the supply of Ukrainian war refugees in Germany.
Debt brake should nevertheless be maintained
Scholz emphasized that the government would declare an emergency situation in accordance with the rules of the debt brake if other supporters such as the USA were to reduce their aid and the situation in Ukraine were to worsen. In order to be prepared for such a development, the leaders of the traffic light coalition had agreed to propose a resolution to the Bundestag to declare an emergency. Ukraine must be strengthened in such a way that "Russia will never dare to attack the country again", said the Chancellor.
Opposition leader Friedrich Merz blamed Scholz for Ukraine's problems. "You know that under the current circumstances, this country has no chance of winning this war," said the CDU leader, referring to the ramping up of the Russian arms industry. The government's reluctance to provide Ukraine with more military equipment was also to blame.
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- Despite Germany's support for Ukraine's accession negotiations and pledging billions in aid, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban remains opposed, threatening to veto decisions in favor of Ukraine during the EU summit in Brussels.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a statement to the German federal parliament, highlighted the importance of continuing to stabilize Ukraine's budget with 50 billion euros in aid over the coming years, a proposal that Hungary has yet to agree to.
- Amidst pressure from Scholz, Hungary's stance against Ukraine's accession negotiations has raised concerns among other EU members, including Ukraine's President Volodymyr Selenskyj, who is still waiting for a clear answer from Orban regarding his opposition to the issue.
- Scholz also emphasized that while additional funds and arms deliveries are planned for Ukraine through the EU and the German budget, Germany would maintain the debt brake as a precautionary measure, in case external support for Ukraine was to decrease.
Source: www.ntv.de
