EU ministers fume as ‘outrageous’ Hungary yet again blocks military aid for Ukraine
EU ministers fume as ‘outrageous’ Hungary yet again blocks military aid for Ukraine
Just a moment...
A large number of EU resolutions on Ukraine are being blocked by Hungary, said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Hungary is digging in and refusing to wave through billions in military aid for Ukraine, prompting growing dismay among other EU countries.
"I have to calm myself [when] I talk about this issue, because it’s getting really ridiculous now,” a senior EU diplomat said of the standoff with Hungary, speaking before Monday's meeting of EU foreign ministers. “What’s happening is outrageous.”
Diplomats had hoped to have a new €6.6 billion package ready ahead of this week's meetings of foreign and defense ministers in Brussels. The deal included €860 million for arms procurement, reported by POLITICO last week.
It is time to develop a way to remove nations who clearly don’t have the EU’s best interest at heart. Hungary is long overdue to be bounced from the EU.
While I understand the sentiment, such action doesn't match the long term goals of the bloc to unify the continent. Another solution needs to be found to ensure single bad actors cannot hold up actions which severely impact the remaining stakeholders - I have no idea how it could be done though.
Xoxo, Another useless armchair observer
I think that is a fair point. One possible option would be to withhold any financial assistance to Hungary. As of 2021, they cost the EU 4.2 billion euros (https://www.statista.com/chart/18794/net-contributors-to-eu-budget/).
They can become part of the union when they get their shit together.
Another long term goal of the EU is to promote peace and democracy across Europe.
Allowing Orbàn to further democratic backsliding at home and undermining of the EU's democratic processes and missions goes contrary to that goal, and the usual withholding of EU funding isn't a sentence at all to a quasi-dictator who revels in the fact that reduced funding means more social misery means easy elections for a populist who blames every problem on the EU.
Kicking out Hungary is a solution of last resort and we aren't there yet, but in a system where Member States could turn totalitarian (and as Sovereign states we have no legal means to force out a dictator), exclusion must be on the table if we are to uphold our democratic values.
they need to get rid of the 100% thing. two thirds and three fourths majority is hard enough.
Agreed.
Yes. Same goes for NATO, which has no expulsion mechanism right now.
This is what makes the EU dysfunctional - there is not a way to bounce a member from the EU nor a way to override a member states veto. The state can even veto changes to try and override vetos.
The EU continues to exist in a black hole between a super state and a club of nations. Until it resolves that long standing conflict small states like Hungary can hold the whole EU hostage to its demands.
The problem is you'd have to override national sovereignty to get rid of Hungary and once you do that the EU suddenly looks much less democratic. The EU may be too big to force such a fundamental change through now.
The solution to the current problem is obvious - European nations should bypass the EU to provide funds for Ukraine. But that is not palatable to the EU as it undermines the EU itself, making it irrelevant to an area it's trying to take control of - security.
Okay so an EU-only version of NATO. All that money goes through it. Thanks Hungary, problem solved.
They'd have to almost unanimously decide that being entirely unanimous is no longer required, bending the rules to change the rules, because that is the only way to unfuck themselves. Let Hungary object, but if they're alone, write it into law anyway. What are they gonna do, leave? I guess if their membership is no longer useful to Russia, they might.
What if they were to have a rule such as 'if a state vetoes a bill that has like 90+% support 3 consecutive times, then they will be unable to veto the bill the 4th time. That way if its obvious all the other people agree on something to hold that strong a majority its not indefinite.
Removing isn't a thing. Complete suspension of everything, very much yes. And Poland won't save them now, doubly so over Ukraine.
I don't think Serbia will ever become a member of the EU
Another Russian proxy.
War is bad.
Every day we extend this war, more and more people die, statistically mostly civilians. While we are spending billions on bombs, China spends billions on healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
And for what? So that the part of Ukraine that was trying to secede during the civil war has to stay? Because Russia is going to start a war with NATO after spending a hundred thousand lives trying and failing to avoid having most of its population and industry a few hundred miles from a hostile NATO member?
This is in nobody's interest except the shareholders of weapons manufacturers.
Russia can end this war tomorrow. Any and all deaths are on them. Hell, if Russia would just stay out of their neighbours business, there would have been no civil war in the first place.
If Russia would quit invading their neighbours, their neighbours wouldn't have had the motivation to join NATO in the first place (see Sweden and Finland as the most current examples).
War is bad.
Nobody was trying to secede. Ukrainians would like to stay Ukrainian and it’s good to help people who want help.
You forgot about a country called Ukraine there buddy.
I gotta say, of all the conflicts going on in the world, Ukraine/Russia has got to be the one with the clearest "good" side and "bad" side. Pick another conflict to be edgy about.
putin could end the war at any time by ceasing to try and take ukrainian land....
Replace "we" with "Russia" and you get it
Giving Russia what they want is in nobody's interest except Putin and a select few of his politicians. They'll then use the land in Ukraine to try to grab more land in Europe, notably Poland, Finland, and Moldova, through more war
there was no civil war except in putin propaganda.
a little known commander, general Sherman
"secede" and what else, that was most brazen imperialist land grab since ww2
how is that war with NATO going? zero NATO casualties, half million russian killed and wounded by now with no end in sight, after running through decades worth of soviet hoard of weapons. and what for? all for a distraction, psychopatic entertainment for russian nationalists, everything to keep putin's approval ratings high. he tried to pull it out for the 4th time, and this time he met prepared resistance. end of war will be end of putin, but he doesn't want to step down, so until someone pops him there won't be peace
Shit Tankies say.
You cannot allow aggressive states to just take other people's lands.
.ml detected, opinion rejected.
Go back to your shithole tankie.
You are wrong.
This war is also in the interests of Putin.
Putin decided to start the war of aggression.
Putin invaded Ukraine.
Ukraine gave up its nuclear arms on the guarantee of security from Russia. Russia has violated that guarantee by invading them.
Putin can end the war today.
US can not end the war today. Even if it left Ukraine alone, Ukraine would still fight to the end.
EU can not end the war today. See above.
The fastest and easiest way to end the bloodshed is for Russia to withdraw today.
Leaving Ukraine to defend itself wouldn't even end the bloodshed. After Russia has completed its revised objectives it would invade the entirety of Ukraine under newer revised objectives. Then it would invade other neighbours under other revised objectives. The bloodshed would continue until the USSR is reformed and a new cold war begins.
Those suggesting the only way to end the bloodshed is through capitulation to the aggressor need to study their history better to see that capitulation to the aggressor never stopped an aggressor, it just lead to them going further until stopped.
Imagine if the USA invaded Mexico - no one would be saying Mexico should end the bloodshed. And the USA's adversaries sure as hell would be doing everything they can to help Mexico.
For those in the back: Putin withdrawing from his war of aggression is the only known way to end the bloodshed today. All other solutions would result in further bloodshed.