Hungary will not support EU aid plan to Ukraine, Orban says

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary will not support a European Union plan to provide Ukraine with billions in budget assistance next year, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. Speaking at a conference in Budapest, Orban said that while Hungary condemns Russia’s aggression and supports the Ukrainian people, he is not willing to put Ukraine’s interests before those of his own country by signing on to the 18 billion euro ($18.6 billion) aid package. Some in the EU see Hungary’s threats to veto the package as a sign that Budapest is exerting leverage on the bloc in an attempt to force it to release billions in funding which has been held up over concerns that Orban has curtailed democratic norms and violated rule-of-law standards.