Bloomberg: EU scrambles to bypass Hungary’s objections at Ukraine summit

The European Union is taking proactive measures to work around Hungary's objections ahead of an upcoming summit focused on Ukraine's latest developments and bolstering European defence. 

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, EU officials have confirmed that efforts are underway to sidestep Budapest in order to maintain strong support for Ukraine and strengthen the continent's defence capabilities, Caliber.Az reports.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen noted that discussions are already taking place to form alliances among countries that can bypass any internal opposition. Several initiatives unveiled this week by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, including €150 billion ($160 billion) in new loans and allowing greater financial flexibility for member states to allocate more funding to defence, don’t require unanimous approval.

However, officials warn that the scale of the crisis will demand more drastic measures, which could involve a more comprehensive financial package.

One potential strategy being considered is raising additional funds through joint debt issuance, a move Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has consistently opposed since reluctantly agreeing to it during the COVID-19 pandemic. This would require a unanimous decision from the EU, and Orban’s opposition could be a major roadblock.

Katarzyna Pisarska, chair of the Warsaw Security Conference, emphasized that finding a way to address Orban’s objections is becoming crucial for the EU. She anticipates efforts to forge enhanced cooperation and coalition-of-the-willing agreements in the coming weeks to bypass Hungary.

This push to secure additional financial resources follows the recent decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend aid to Ukraine, after his contentious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington. The move has prompted European nations to urgently reassess their budgets, with Germany leading the charge. The EU is now scrambling to reorganize its financial framework, drawing comparisons to the European debt crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic’s financial response.

Hungarian Prime Minister Orban has made it clear that he intends to block any decisions at the summit that would further fuel the conflict in Ukraine. Orban, who opposes supplying Ukraine with weapons for self-defence and providing security guarantees to deter Russia, has been an outlier within the EU, aligning more closely with the new U.S. administration under Trump.

According to an official, the main challenge facing the EU is how to navigate Hungary’s objections. European Council President António Costa will attempt to find consensus with Orban during the summit, but if that fails, EU leaders are prepared to focus on strategies to bypass Hungary’s veto, rather than engage in prolonged debates, as one EU diplomat noted.

Additionally, EU officials are discussing methods to ensure the continuation of anti-Russian sanctions, which Orban has vehemently opposed. A proposal being considered requires only a majority vote for certain measures, though such a move would be difficult to implement, as EU legislation currently relies on unanimous decision-making.

By Tamilla Hasanova