EU expects Hungary to unblock military aid for Ukraine as talks continue

The European Union continues to facilitate dialogue between Kyiv and Budapest, hoping to unblock the 8th tranche of military aid to Ukraine under the so-called European Peace Fund. The EU hopes that this money will be transferred to Ukraine "sooner rather than later."

An influential EU official said this in Brussels on October 20, Ukrinform reports. This statement was made on the eve of the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, which will take place next Monday in Luxembourg.

"We are still discussing this (tranche - ed.) issue with Hungary and Ukraine. Ukraine removed the OTP Bank from the list of institutions that have cooperation with Russia. But there are still some problems that continue to exist, and the relevant EU services, in particular the European External Action Service, are fully involved in these discussions between Kyiv and Budapest. Thus, we expect that sooner rather than later we will be able to have an agreement and disburse the next tranche from the European Peace Fund," the EU representative said.

At the same time, the EU representative did not comment on the meeting between Russian President Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Orban in Beijing, citing the fact that heads of state have the sovereign right to meet with whomever they see fit. At the same time, he noted that the EU does not change its common and definite position on Putin's personality and supports the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court prosecutor.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, Hungary did not support the payment of the next tranche of the EPF (European Peace Fund) to Ukraine. The amount is about 500 million euros. Hungary is dissatisfied with the fact that Ukraine put the Hungarian OTP Bank on the NACP's list of "international sponsors of war."

At the end of September, Ukraine removed the Hungarian OTP Bank from the list of "war sponsors," satisfying one of Budapest's key demands.

Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!