BUDAPEST, November 20. /TASS/. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen should not ask the European Union to allocate funds to Ukraine, because its government is corrupt, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told journalists before the meeting with his EU colleagues in Brussels.
He recalled the letter that von der Leyen had earlier sent to EU countries with official proposals on the expropriation of Russian assets and two alternative loan-based financing options for Ukraine. "If we want Europe to demonstrate our firm stance on corruption, the European Commission's president should refrain from sending such letters," Szijjarto said in comments broadcast by the M1 television channel.
According to the foreign minister, the EU wants to allocate another $115 billion of taxpayers’ money to Ukraine, despite being aware of its "war mafia and corrupt government." "It speaks volumes about the state of democracy in Brussels," Szijjarto noted, promising to raise the issue at the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
"The money of European citizens must no longer be sent to [the Ukrainian] war mafia," the Hungarian top diplomat stressed.
Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also opposed funding Ukraine and rejected von der Leyen’ proposals.
According to media reports, the European Commission president's letter states that Kiev will face a notable funding shortfall in 2026-2027. The EC proposes three solutions to this issue: issuing a reparation-linked loan backed by Russia’s frozen assets, grants from EU countries, and a joint EU-level loan. Von der Leyen wants a decision to be made at the EU summit scheduled on December 18 and 19.