Hungary's Opposition to EU Aid for Ukraine Creates Tensions

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accuses the European Commission of blackmailing Hungary by withholding frozen funds over rule-of-law concerns. Orbán claims that Hungary fulfills all the qualities of the rule of law and cooperates with the Commission's specific needs. The European Commission recently unblocked €10.2 billion in frozen EU cohesion funds for Hungary, but many EU politicians warn against giving in to what they perceive as blackmail from Orbán. Orbán initially threatened to block Ukraine's accession talks to the EU and a further aid package to Kyiv, but eventually allowed EU leaders to approve the start of negotiations for Ukraine. However, he is still blocking a €50 billion aid package for Kyiv, which will be discussed next year.