Due to Hungary’s position, 6.6 billion euros of compensation for Ukraine remain blocked - Borrell
The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, has stated that he failed to overcome Hungary's veto, which blocked 6.6 billion euros of the European Peace Fund to compensate EU countries for the supply of military aid to Ukraine.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.
"Unfortunately, my proposal to unblock EUR 6.6 billion in aid to Ukraine has not been implemented. We are still in a dead end. Now the technical instances of the council must continue to look for a solution," Borrell said after the EU Council meeting at the level of defense ministers.
Borrell noted that this is a setback not only for him, but also "for all member states that are waiting for compensation."
"I need to reiterate that military equipment has been delivered to Ukraine. Member states are waiting for compensation. And this blocking continues because Hungary is still obstructing the deal. (...) I tried to find a possible solution, but all the options I put on the table did not meet with the consent of others for one reason or another. (...) Ultimately, Hungary holds the main responsibility," the head of European diplomacy said.
"I have sent this to the working group of the Political and Security Committee, and I hope they can find a solution. And maybe my successor (Kaja Kallas - ed.) will be more fortunate than I was," suggested Borrell, whose mandate expires at the end of November.
He also touched upon the use of proceeds from frozen Russian assets, which, according to him, should be used to "plan other supplies to Ukraine." Borrell reminded that the first tranche of EUR 400 million was intended for the Ukrainian military industry. He suggested that the second tranche of these proceeds, expected in March-April 2025, should be used to purchase military equipment for the Ukrainian army.
