The European Union has denied the existence of a plan to undermine Hungaryʼs economy if Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocks €50 billion from Ukraine at a special summit on February 1. Earlier, the Financial Times wrote about the plan.
An unnamed European official told journalists about this, Interfax-Ukraine and Ukrinform report.
In its article, the Financial Times allegedly used a background note on the current state of the Hungarian economy, which does not contain any plan.
“The document referred to in the Financial Times article is a background memo. This is a factual document that reflected the current status of the Hungarian economy and does not contain any separate plans for the multi-year budget and the Ukrainian Fund, as well as any plans related to Hungary," the source told journalists.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, commenting on the FT article, emphasized that the most important thing for the EU is to reach an agreement with 27 countries.
"We will work hard on this, it is our priority. After this summit, we will see what the alternative is, but our goal is to conclude an agreement between all 27 countries," Lahbib said.
Hungarian Minister for EU Affairs János Bóka said that the FTʼs material is proof of EU pressure on the country.
"Hungary does not succumb to blackmail! The document developed by Brussels bureaucrats only confirms what the Hungarian government has been saying for a long time: Brussels uses access to EU funds for political blackmail," he said.
The political advisor of the Prime Minister of Hungary, Balázs Orbán, also says that the country "will not give in to blackmail."
- Earlier, the Financial Times wrote that the EU is ready to undermine the Hungarian economy if Budapest blocks aid to Ukraine at the summit on February 1 — with reference to "the EU plan, which the publication has seen".