Orban Rejects Ukraine Funding Plan at EU Summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at the EU Leaders Summit in Brussels, Belgium, that plans to finance Ukraine using frozen Russian assets are “dead,” claiming enough member states will block the decision. Orban opposed both the proposed compensation loan and EU budget borrowing, arguing that Hungary cannot support joint loans and that the EU should “finance peace, not war.” He warned that using Russian assets would amount to entering the Russia-Ukraine war and said banning Russian gas imports would sharply raise energy costs for European households. Orban also criticized the proposed Mercosur trade deal, saying it would severely harm European farmers.