EU’s top diplomats to ‘fight’ over Ukraine arms supply – Hungary
“A big fight” is looming in Brussels on Monday over the allocation of billions of euros earmarked to arm Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has warned.
The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council, comprising of bloc members' top diplomats, is eager to allocate funds to further arm Kiev through Christmas and New Year, during its final meeting of the year Monday, according to Szijjarto.
They “want to free up more than €6 billion” to purchase arms for Ukraine, Szijjarto wrote on Facebook, before the meeting began.
“Even the approach of Christmas cannot dampen the mood of war,” he claimed. “Even with the possibility of a Christmas ceasefire and mass prisoner exchanges on the table,” the EU’s top diplomats will nevertheless discuss further arming Ukraine, he lamented.
Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban proposed a Christmas ceasefire and a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Kiev has since rejected the proposal.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Moscow supports Orban’s initiatives and hopes that consultations on peace will continue.
“There will be a big fight today, but we will not give in… we need a ceasefire in Ukraine, not more weapons!” concluded Szijjarto.
Hungary, along with neighboring Slovakia, is opposed to the EU policy of arming Kiev and has been calling for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The meeting in Brussels is being chaired for the first time by the new EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Kaja Kallas.
The Estonian diplomat took over from Josep Borrell on December 1. She has advocated for tougher sanctions on Russia and is known for her strident stance against Moscow.
