Hungary blocks military package from EU to Kyiv

The Hungarian government has maintained its stance in preventing the European Union from approving a package of 500 million euros ($546 million) in military aid for Ukraine until Kyiv removes its largest bank from a list of international sponsors of war.

The monthlong veto was reaffirmed on Monday during an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the media after the meeting that the adoption of the eighth support package for Ukraine is still not solved.

"I will engage personally with everybody in order to try to solve it as soon as possible because this support package to Ukraine remains vital," he said.

Hungary has blocked the latest package of military aid to Ukraine by accusing Kyiv of listing OTP Bank, Hungary's largest commercial bank, as "international sponsors of war". Hungarian officials insisted the bank's designation is "unacceptable" and Ukraine must remove it from the list before it approves the aid.

The release of the financial aid package to Ukraine, under the so-called European Peace Facility, requires unanimous agreement by all 27 EU member states.

The European Peace Facility is an off-budget instrument established by the EU in 2021 to enhance its ability to act as a global security provider.

Hungarian Minister of State for International Communication and Relations Zoltan Kovacs reiterated Hungary's stance on Monday.

"FM Peter Szijjarto stated that approval would only be granted once Ukraine removes OTP Bank, which is not in violation of international laws, from the list of international sponsors of war," he said in a tweet.

He added that Szijjarto has "urged his EU counterparts to exert pressure on Ukraine, highlighting that Ukraine could easily resolve the situation by removing OTP Bank (from the list) if they so desired".

According to Kovacs, Hungary also opposes the diversion of European Peace Facility funds, originally intended to support stability globally, toward partial financing of arms deliveries to Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of maintaining stability in regions like the Western Balkans and Africa to prevent security threat and migration waves.

Hungary blocked the eighth aid package delivery to Ukraine since mid-May when Ukraine's National Agency on Corruption Prevention, or NACP, added OTP Bank to the list of "international sponsors of war" due to its continued business presence in Russia.

The Ukrainian agency temporarily suspended five Greek shipping companies from the list last week in order for Greece to approve the 11th round of EU sanctions against Russia. But OTP Bank is still on the list.

While the delivery of the eighth aid package to Ukraine is still blocked, EU foreign ministers on Monday agreed to boost their joint military aid fund for Ukraine by 3.5 billion euros ($3.8 billion).

"We will continue to double down on our military support on both equipment & training. For as long as it takes," Borrell said in a tweet on Monday.