The European Commission released a joint statement urging increased military aid to Ukraine, but Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán refused to sign on. In a rare move, Brussels bypassed its usual requirement for unanimous approval, tacking the controversial call for aid onto an appendix rather than the main document.
Orbán made his stance crystal clear: Hungary won’t back a “pro-war” agenda. After the summit, he doubled down, saying, “We will not allow a common European position that includes Hungary and supports war.”
This isn’t the first time Orbán has thrown up a roadblock. Earlier this month, he vetoed a €30 billion ($32 billion) EU military aid package, arguing that prolonging the war isn’t in Europe’s best interest. In a recent interview, he went even further, questioning whether the EU can keep footing Ukraine’s bills. He pointed out that beyond military aid, Brussels is essentially keeping Ukraine’s entire government afloat—a country, he claimed, that “is not functioning” as a state.
Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly warned that Western arms shipments only escalate the conflict, making Ukraine’s backers active participants. Despite the EU’s maneuvering, Hungary isn’t budging—and the battle over military support for Kyiv is far from settled.
