The main obstacle is not even Orban: details of the vote in Brussels to help Kyiv

European leaders adopted a historic for Ukraine, the decision to begin negotiations on accession to the EU. However, they could not accept financial assistance in the amount of 50 billion euros, because Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed.

Correspondent< strong> 24 ChannelsSofia Nazarenko, who is at the European Council summit, told the details of the vote for the allocation of aid to Kyiv. Let us note that at the end of 2023 the funds allocated to Kiev from the EU will end, so the adoption of this decision is extremely important for Ukraine.

The main topic of the European Union was the revision of the multi-year budget. Indeed, due to new challenges, in particular the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East, the leaders decided to make changes to the European budget. EU member states decided to respond to the challenges of history and increase funding.

Discussions in Brussels continued until 3 am and in the end the budget revision was postponed until early January.

After which the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, came out and commented on the lack of a decision to allocate 50 billion euros for Ukraine. He said that 26 EU member states support delaying the budget review. Money from the EU will be made available to our country in the form of grants for low-interest loans.

According to Charles Michel, the proposal had “widespread support among the 26 EU member states”, and one country opposed. However, the main reason for postponing the decision is not Orban’s veto, but Sweden’s need to consult with parliament. Therefore, the European Council will hold an extraordinary meeting at the beginning of 2024.

Charles Michel assured that there will be money for Ukraine and emphasized that our state can count on the EU. For Kyiv, this decision is very important, since Ukraine will receive the last tranche from the European Union within the framework of macro-financial assistance in January.

“I would like to send a positive and a reassuring signal because we have the tools to ensure that we are reliable and that Ukrainians can count on our support.And when I insisted on a long-term budget, which is a political commitment supported by 26 member states, when Sweden officially supports it. This means that in this budget we have a package worth 50 billion for Ukraine,” said Michel.

Another positive moment for Ukraine was the agreement 12-pack of sanctions against Russia. European leaders have agreed on the details of new restrictions against Moscow, but they will become known over time.

Now in The European Council is not meeting. On the second day of the EU summit, the agenda will be growing anti-Semitism in Europe and events in the Middle East.