Hungary criticizes EU’s plan to fund Ukraine’s growing military force

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, has stated that the European Union will not be able to support Ukraine’s army of one million soldiers, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has requested.

Speaking at a press conference following a meeting with energy ministers from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Romania in Budapest, Szijjártó emphasized that the EU faces significant challenges in fulfilling Ukraine’s demands for military and financial aid, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

“We still believe that the European Union is simply not capable of maintaining a Ukrainian army of one million people and allocating millions of dollars for the functioning of the Ukrainian state, especially at a time when its own competitiveness has been significantly reduced," Szijjártó said.

"It simply cannot be fathomed how the EU will be able to carry such a large financial burden. The EU simply cannot undertake this," the FM added.

Hungary's opposition to the European Union funding the expansion of Ukraine's armed forces to one million troops was previously highlighted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban. In a speech on economic matters delivered on March 8, Orban warned that such a decision would cause irreparable damage to all EU member states.

“Ukraine is on the verge of collapse, but the EU still wants to finance the 'Ukrainian Dream' operation to rearm its army using European funds,” he stated.

On March 6, at the EU summit in Brussels, Hungary refused to endorse a joint statement on Ukraine. The statement was eventually published with the approval of the remaining 26 EU members, and it is set to be revisited during the next meeting on March 20-21. The document reiterates the EU’s commitment to providing Ukraine with all forms of assistance, including military aid, and continuing pressure on Russia through sanctions.

By Vafa Guliyeva