The European Union recognizes a “setback” in its aid policy to Ukraine. It was the high representative, Kaja Kallas, who admitted that “today” Brussels transmits “the message we did not want to send” to kyiv. And especially being .
The message is that, for now, there will be no twentieth package of sanctions against Russia. The lack of unanimity paralyzes what would have meant a new blow to the Putin regime, in a policy of sanctions initiated at the dawn of a war today with no end in sight.
The movements were so initial that the “special military operation” in response to Russia’s unilateral recognition of independence of the Ukrainian republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.
The ‘no’ has come two vetoes, those of Hungary and Slovakia. They are no surprise; even less so in the case of the Magyar Government, with Viktor Orbán as leader, the only one ‘close’ to Putin in the EU.
There have been many times that Orbán and his ministers have attacked Zelensky for rejecting the imposed peace or for refusing to give up territory, while softening the community tone against Putin, whom .
The other rejection is not entirely striking either, since it is the Slovak Executive led by Robert Fico, another linked figurealthough more lightly than Orbán, with the Moscow regime and which has not hidden its closeness in numerous aspects.
That Brussels has not finally found an agreement is a pain for the community leadership, which has constantly shown its support for kyiv. “Unfortunately, we have not reached an agreement on the 20th sanctions package. This is a setback and a message we did not want to send today, but the work continues“, Kaja Kallas pointed out in a press conference this Monday.
In hours, their ‘bosses’, both Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa, presidents of the European Commission and Council, respectively, will show their support with their visit to the Ukrainian capital on the anniversary.
Hungary’s other great veto on Ukraine
It rains in the wet, we said, in Hungary’s refusal to support Ukraine. Just weeks ago, the EU approved in December a loan for two years of 90,000 million eurosunderstood as essential for Ukraine to maintain social benefits and public salaries after almost four years of war.
In this regard, Budapest announced that would use his veto power to thus block the issuance of debt necessary for the loan if kyiv did not resume oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline. Infrastructure that this Monday the Ukrainian army announced that it had attacked.
