EUR 50B for Ukraine: European Commission hopes for consensus but prepares options

At the same time, the European Commission is also preparing alternative solutions in case such an agreement cannot be reached among all 27 EU countries. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated this on Friday in Stockholm during a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, and the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"In one month from now, it will be two years since Russia launched its terrible war of aggression against Ukraine. We have stood by Ukraine since day one, and we will continue to do so. Support for Ukraine is crucial – not only military support, this is also very important, but also economic support. We indeed discussed the upcoming special European Council where we aim to find an agreement for the EUR 50 billion for Ukraine for the next four years. Because this would provide Ukraine with predictable, economic and budgetary assistance and underline our strong support for Ukraine," the EC president emphasized.

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Answering journalists' questions about the position of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on the issue, Ursula von der Leyen noted that the EU Agreements have very clear rules on how to resolve conflict situations in the European Union.

She recalled that, first of all, member have to negotiate with each other and find compromises, noting that discussions are ongoing with the Hungarian government.

Noting that this is the EU’s top priority, she said the EU is preparing for alternative solutions if the common decision is not achieved.

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The president of the European Commission said the entire European Union is built on dialogue and the search for common solutions with all member states. The procedures provided for in Article 7 of the EU Agreement on limiting the country's right to vote, according to her, are a completely different matter, not alike the ongoing talks with Hungary regarding the allocation of EUR 50 billion for Ukraine.

As already reported, during the European Council on December 14-15, 2023, the leaders of the EU member states made a decision to launch membership negotiations with Ukraine, stopping short of reaching a consensus on the creation of the Ukraine Facility in the EU budget in the face of Hungary’s opposition.

Heads of state and government of European nations will continue the discussion during a special summit on February 1, 2024. EU officials hope that all 27 member state will evemtually support the move to continue financial support for Ukraine.