At the meeting, EU leaders piled pressure on Hungary to lift its block, telling Prime Minister Viktor Orban to pick sides in what several saw as an existential challenge posed by Russia’s war in Ukraine, the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
“We have a deal. Unity,” said European Council President Charles Michel in a post on X. “All 27 leaders agreed on an additional 50-billion-euro support package for Ukraine within the EU budget.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the agreement, saying the aid would strengthen long-term economic and financial stability of his country as the war approaches its third year.
Ukraine’s dollar bonds gained on the news. Kyiv, which relies heavily on Western aid as it fights Moscow, said it expected to receive the first tranche of 4.5 billion euros from the EU in March.
The agreement comes after weeks of wrangling with Orban, who vetoed the aid package last December. There was no comment from Hungary on the deal.
Earlier this week, Israel’s PM ordered UN aid agencies to close down in Gaza amid continuing strikes from the IDF forces.
By Desmond Nleya, Daily News
