PM Orban Reacts to Von der Leyen’s Extraordinary Funding Request

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban posted on social media with a message for the president of the European Commission, after Ursula von der Leyen once again called on EU member states to urgently provide additional funds for financing Ukraine.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Source: Facebook/Viktor Orban)

PM Orban published the post in response to the letter sent by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to EU national governments on Monday.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo: MTI/Arpad Kurucz)

Viktor Orban Refuses to Let Hungarians' Money Go to Ukraine

Von der Leyen's letter demanded immediate financial contributions to ensure continued support for Ukraine.

PM Orban closed his post with a pointed remark:

We’ll have a few words to say about that.

The Hungarian government has long maintained its position: Hungary firmly opposes joint EU borrowing and centralized financing mechanisms for Ukraine.

Budapest considers it unacceptable that Brussels pours money into the Ukrainian war effort without accountability, all while on ideological grounds withholding funds due to the Hungarian people.

As Viktor Orban has previously stressed: “We must not allow Brussels to send Hungarian people’s money to Ukraine.”

He commented earlier on the letter also mentioning the corruption scandals surrounding Kyiv:

I’m trying to restrain my first reflex to write a very sharp letter, because it is truly shocking that when it becomes clear a wartime mafia in Ukraine is pocketing European taxpayers’ money—God knows where it ends up—rather than ordering an investigation or suspending further payments, the Commission president proposes we send even more cash,

was PM Orban's initial criticism. 

It’s like trying to get an alcoholic to quit drinking by sending him another crate of vodka,

he added.

Cover photo: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Source: Facebook/Viktor Orban)