Hungary opposes EU aid to Ukraine as 'prolonging war'

Hungary is opposed to a new European Union package of support for Ukraine amounting to €20 billion ($21 billion), Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó posted on X on Thursday.

The initiative by EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas was aimed at reinforcing Kiev's position in talks, instead of pushing for peace, he said. "We will not support spending European taxpayers' money to prolong the war," Szijjártó posted.

Hungary would also not support extending EU sanctions on Russian and Belarusian individuals, he said.

The EU's foreign service earlier presented a proposal for additional military assistance to Ukraine to the amount of just €6 billion.

According to information received by dpa, the money is to be used for supplying 1.5 million artillery rounds for €3.5 billion, a further €500 million for air defence systems and €2 billion for equipping and training two Ukrainian brigades.

The proposal is intended for discussion at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, although it remained unclear which member states would support it and whether it could be implemented.

Funding is also a problem in the light of EU rules in the event that individual states are opposed.

It remained unclear in Brussels why Szijjártó referred to a sum of €20 billion, when the envisaged support came to €6 billion.

Szijjártó explained Hungary's position by saying that the election of US President Donald Trump had shifted global politics towards peace. "We are closer than ever to a solution, as direct US-Russia talks have revived hope for peace," he said.

According to a Hungarian government spokesman, Szijjártó is in Washington for talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.