https://sputnikglobe.com/20230523/tide-turning-eu-fails-to-agree-on-fresh-military-aid-to-kiev-1110542196.html
Tide Turning? EU Fails to Agree on Fresh Military Aid to Kiev
Tide Turning? EU Fails to Agree on Fresh Military Aid to Kiev
Sputnik International
President Biden announced a new $375 million military aid package for Ukraine on Sunday - but across the Atlantic, American allies are expressing growing hesitancy to dump more cash into a hopeless proxy war with Russia.
2023-05-23T15:47+0000
2023-05-23T15:47+0000
2023-05-23T16:18+0000
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josep borrell
peter szijjarto
volodymyr zelensky
ukraine
kiev
hungary
european union (eu)
european defense agency
nato
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The European Union's defense ministers failed to agree on a new package of military assistance to Ukraine, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has announced."The next weeks, the next months will be strategically decisive for the war in Ukraine. We are all in agreement on this. It is precisely for this reason that the European Defense Agency has focused ninety percent [of our funds] on our military support," Borrell said.The diplomat did not elaborate on what's holding up the aid talks. However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto indicated last week that Budapest would not support an additional €500 million in aid so long as Hungary's OTP Bank remains on a list of "sponsors of war" over its refusal to leave the Russian market."We cannot support the allocation of another half a billion euros from the European Peace Facility for arms transfers to Ukraine, and we will not give it the green light as long as OTP is on this particular list," Szijjarto said.Hungary has stood out among EU members over its independent and neutral policy in relation to Russia and the crisis in Ukraine, blocking NATO from shipping weapons to Ukraine through its territory, and refusing to cut off energy and economic links with Moscow. Budapest’s policy has led to pressure from Washington and Brussels, and a bitter feud between Hungarian and Ukrainian officials about President Zelensky's mental health, and dismissals by Budapest of Kiev's attempts to "lecture" Hungary on its foreign policy. Ties between the two countries have been complicated by the 156,000+ ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine, who have been subjected to discrimination by Kiev following the 2014 Euromaidan coup, including prohibitions on their ability to study in their native tongue in state schools via a controversial 2017 education law.Tuesday’s news may signal growing divisions within the EU on the Ukrainian crisis amid rising public and economic pressure to end the NATO-Russia proxy conflict, which will enter its 16th month Wednesday.Earlier this month, Borrell admitted that the Ukraine crisis would end "immediately" in Ukrainian surrender if Brussels halted its military support. "That is why we must continue helping Ukraine," he said.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230523/hungary-and-germany-quarrel-over-blocked-ukraine-military-aid---reports-1110535502.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230510/borrell-ukraine-conflict-could-end-immediately-if-west-stops-weapons-supply-to-kiev-1110248037.html
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ukraine, hungary, european union, josep borrell, military aid, aid, support, assistance, kiev, proxy war, russia, how much eu spends on ukraine, what did eu send to ukraine, eu military aid to ukraine
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Tide Turning? EU Fails to Agree on Fresh Military Aid to Kiev
15:47 GMT 23.05.2023 (Updated: 16:18 GMT 23.05.2023) US President Joe Biden announced a new $375 million military aid package for Ukraine on Sunday - but across the Atlantic, Washington’s allies are expressing growing hesitancy to dump more cash into a hopeless proxy war with Russia.
The European Union's defense ministers failed to agree on a new package of military assistance to Ukraine, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has announced.
"We have proposed what will be the eighth package [of aid] in the amount of €500 million, on which negotiations are continuing. I hope that we will overcome any obstacles one by one to approve assistance at a technical level from this week. Right now we have not reached a unanimous decision on this issue," Borrell said, speaking to reporters after a meeting of the European Defense Agency on Tuesday.
"The next weeks, the next months will be strategically decisive for the war in Ukraine. We are all in agreement on this. It is precisely for this reason that the European Defense Agency has focused ninety percent [of our funds] on our military support," Borrell said.
The diplomat did not elaborate on what's holding up the aid talks. However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto indicated last week that Budapest would not support an additional €500 million in aid so long as Hungary's OTP Bank remains on a list of "sponsors of war" over its refusal to leave the Russian market.
"We cannot support the allocation of another half a billion euros from the European Peace Facility for arms transfers to Ukraine, and we will not give it the green light as long as OTP is on this particular list," Szijjarto
said.
Hungary has stood out among EU members over its independent and neutral policy in relation to Russia and the crisis in Ukraine, blocking NATO from shipping weapons to Ukraine through its territory, and refusing to cut off energy and economic links with Moscow. Budapest’s policy has led to pressure from Washington and Brussels, and a
bitter feud between Hungarian and Ukrainian officials about President Zelensky's mental health, and dismissals by Budapest of Kiev's attempts to
"lecture" Hungary on its foreign policy. Ties between the two countries have been complicated by the 156,000+ ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine, who have been subjected to discrimination by Kiev following the 2014 Euromaidan coup, including prohibitions on their ability to study in their native tongue in state schools via a controversial 2017 education law.
Tuesday’s news may signal growing divisions within the EU on the Ukrainian crisis amid rising public and economic pressure to end the NATO-Russia proxy conflict, which will enter its 16th month Wednesday.
"'Everybody wants this war to finish," Borrell assured Monday. "The only one that looks willing to continue the war is Putin. No one wishes peace more than Ukraine, that's why we support the Ukrainians' initiative, the President Zelensky initiative for that just peace," he claimed.
Earlier this month, Borrell admitted that the Ukraine crisis would end "immediately" in Ukrainian surrender if Brussels halted its military support. "That is why we must continue helping Ukraine," he said.
