Hungary has stopped EU's aid to Ukraine. What could be the reasons?

This week, the European Union leaders have assented to begin negotiations for the accession of Ukraine to the European Union. Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary intended to oppose this view earlier, now permitted the decision. However, Hungary's Prime Minister had blocked the aid package of  50 billion euros by the European Union to Ukraine.

Now the question is, what exactly is Hungary's standpoint on helping Ukraine? Let's understand

Hungary's intentions

Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary is actually a close friend of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. Orban, also a right-wing leader got re-elected in the year 2022, and that is when the man called Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, as one of his "opponents". He believes that he had to overcome this opponent. The man is of the view that the regime in Ukraine is actually filled with corruption. He believes that the country is not ready for the EU membership. He is of the view that Ukraine should act as a strategic partner of the European Union first for a while prior to the talks about membership.

With these views, he has been going against the financial package with the view that a non-EU member should not be receiving such massive funds. He argues that even Hungary, which is actually a member state of the European Union, has not been given funds that were specially allocated for the country.

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The context

Huge funds had been allocated for Hungary. However, these funds were frozen by the European Union on the grounds that there had been a violation of the EU norms of judicial independence and law and order by Hungary. Such a situation poses a stage for many analysts to assess the situation, and many are of the view that Hungary has used its veto power on the formal membership discussions and funding for Ukraine, as nothing but a bargain to make the European Union unfreeze the funds. It is to be noted that prior to the summit, a total of €10 billion in funds were released to Hungary by the European Union. Speculation was raised on the matter, but the European Commission iterated that the frozen funds were actually released as Hungary met the demands of the EU on judicial reforms, and the timing of the release of funds was just a coincidence.

Additionally, at the insistence of Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, Mr. Orban left the room during the meeting of EU leaders when it was time to put forward objections. This permitted the other EU leaders, the remaining 26, to actually seal the deal on beginning with official talks on the EU accession of Ukraine. All this has been viewed as a quid pro quo.

Finally, Ukraine's membership in the European Union

Nothing can be said as of now. Obtaining membership in the European Union is a lengthy procedure. The process involves a country meeting all the governance-related parameters. It was not easy for countries other than the six founding members of the European Union to become the union's members. Each of those 21 nations had to try hard for nine long years to finally obtain the membership. Additionally, Mr. Orban is of the view that Hungary may bring forward disruption and derail the membership process of Ukraine.

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