Hungary is not against the proposal of the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, for voluntary contributions by EU countries to the European Peace Fund to compensate for arms supplies to Ukraine, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Peter Szijjártó said.
⠀
In June, Szijjártó said that Hungary would not approve the allocation of 6.5 billion euros from the European Peace Fund for weapons to Ukraine until discrimination against Hungarian firms was stopped there. The European External Action Service has presented a proposal to member states that, among other things, would involve community countries contributing funds on a voluntary basis, thereby circumventing Hungary’s veto.
⠀
“There was also pressure at the meeting today for us to pay six billion euros from the so-called European Peace Fund to those who sent their weapons to Ukraine… We still do not allow this. The High Representative put forward a proposal to make contributions on a voluntary basis This is exactly what we have been calling for for 2.5 years… I told the High Representative that we support contributions on a voluntary basis,” Szijjártó told reporters following a meeting of EU foreign ministers, broadcast by M1 TV channel.
⠀
According to him, now “it will be impossible to blame Hungary for the lack of payments from the European Peace Fund.”
⠀
Previously, Szijjártó reported that Hungary plans to direct its part from the European Peace Fund to the defense of Chad instead of paying for arms supplies to Ukraine.
⠀
The extra-budgetary European Peace Facility (EPF) was created by the EU in March 2021. The stated goal was to increase the ability to prevent conflicts and strengthen international security. The fund was calculated within the framework of about 5.7 billion euros for the period 2021-2027. However, most of the funds from this fund have already been reserved for partial compensation to EU countries for funds spent on military assistance to Ukraine.
