The EU Should Finance its Own Ukraine Strategy, Says EU Affairs Minister

Hungary’s position is that the European Union should not finance Ukraine, but its own strategy for Ukraine that could include financial and other assistance to Ukraine, EU Affairs Minister János Bóka told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

In a post on his Facebook page, quoting the main statements of the interview, János Bóka wrote that Hungary proposed a strategic discussion on the EU’s policy towards Ukraine. The government believes that “the initial strategy, based on the assumption that Ukraine would win on the battlefield and that this would bring political change in Russia, is not working. We have to adapt to this.”

The minister highlighted that the European Commission’s proposal calls for funding for four years, whereas Ukraine’s developments and needs cannot be predicted four years in advance. Hungary therefore believes that more conservative planning is needed:

• shorter financial periods
• a review of the system at the end of each period
• the creation of a special fund with the voluntary participation of European states and international financial actors.

The politician also stated that it was in Hungary’s strategic interest to have a stable entity between the European Union and Russia, as well as between Hungary and Russia, and that this entity should anchor itself as much as possible alongside European structures. He said that there is no military solution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, only a political one. This requires a dialogue between the parties that in turn requires an immediate ceasefire, he stressed.

Minister Bóka said that the government believes that the issue of European aid to Ukraine and the issue of funds withheld from Hungary because of objections to the rule of law are completely separate.

We believe that we have fully complied with the rules to receive the European funds due to us,”

he pointed out.

In response to the Italian daily’s question as to whether he was in talks about a merger between Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Bóka replied in the affirmative. “The (Hungarian) Prime Minister had publicly stated that Fidesz was interested in joining the ECR, as this would expand its opportunities to present a conservative alternative on the European political stage,” the politician said. “Of course, the option of membership is the subject of discussions at various political levels,” he added.

Via MTI, corriere.it; Featured image: Pixabay