Once again, Europe has delivered. €50 billion to help Ukraine recover, reconstruct and reform, on the country’s path to EU membership. We owe this to the people of Ukraine. We owe it too to the people of Europe. Because Ukraine’s security is Europe’s security,” President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola wrote on X. 

“Agreement! The European Council delivered on our priorities. Supporting Ukraine. Fighting illegal migration. Supporting European competitiveness. A good day for Europe,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen similarly expressed on the same social media platform.

There were concerns that Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban would block the aid package as he had already done at a European summit last December.

He stated that he wanted a rethink of EU policy towards Ukraine further questioning the idea of committing to fund the country for the next four years.

Rumours have circulated about potential punitive action by the EU. Earlier this week, the Financial Times reported that if Orban uses his veto on the support package for Ukraine, Brussels officials could “hit Hungary’s economy”.

Hungarian political director Balazs Orban responded to that article by writing that Brussels was blackmailing Hungary.

Orban has repeatedly opposed sanctions on Russian gas, acting as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the EU.

The summit is occurring against the backdrop of a farmers’ protest in Brussels, with over 1,000 blocking the streets around the European quarter in protest against free trade deals between the EU and third countries.

What do you make about this breaking development?