Hungary Launches Petition Against EU Financing for Ukraine
In a statement on Monday, the Hungarian government said the petition is meant to “send a message to Brussels” that “we will not pay” for Ukraine’s military expenses or support Kiev over the next decade while facing higher utility bills at home. The ballot, which functions as an informal referendum, allows voters to respond on three related issues.
Balazs Hidveghi, parliamentary state secretary in Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s cabinet office, accused the EU of funneling money into Ukraine without consulting citizens. He claimed that Brussels had already spent €170 billion ($204 billion) supporting Kiev and now seeks much more, citing figures of €800 billion for Ukraine’s state finances and another €700 billion for conflict-related expenses.
The official also warned that funding could result in higher taxes and the end of household utility subsidies in Hungary if a “puppet” Brussels-compliant government comes to power.
Orban’s administration has frequently clashed with the EU over support for Ukraine since the 2022 escalation of the conflict, criticizing sanctions on Russia as harmful to the bloc’s economy and refusing to supply weapons to Kiev. Budapest has opposed Ukraine’s EU and NATO ambitions, arguing they could draw Europe into a direct confrontation with Moscow.
Hungary, along with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, also opted out of the EU’s €90 billion loan package for Ukraine financed through joint borrowing, after the bloc failed to agree on using frozen Russian assets.
The petition comes ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections in April, with Orban framing the vote as a choice between “war and peace.”
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