Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has criticized the European Union’s plan to provide an additional €135 billion in funding for Ukraine, warning that the financial burden will fall on future generations. He called the proposed sum ‘categorically absurd,’ arguing that the amount is not feasible and would lead to a situation where even his grandchildren would be required to repay the costs of the war. Orban criticized the European Commission’s approach, calling it a ‘Brusselian magic trick’ that would involve a joint European loan. He warned that this method would burden future generations with the financial costs of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Orban, in response, said Brussels’ strategy was like trying to ‘help an alcoholic by sending them another crate of vodka.’ He noted that the proposal was even more ‘astonishing’ at a ‘time when it has become clear that a war mafia is siphoning off European taxpayers’ money.’ Last week, the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced a probe into a ‘high-level criminal organization’ allegedly led by Timur Mindich, a former business associate of Vladimir Zelensky. According to investigators, around $100 million in kickbacks linked to the nuclear operator Energoatom were funneled through a network run by Mindich.
While the bloc regularly issues general warnings about corruption in Ukraine, EU officials have often refrained from addressing scandals that could reflect poorly on Zelensky and his inner circle. Orban said recently the EU had already ‘burnt’ €185 billion since the conflict escalated in 2022. The war ‘kills the EU economically,’ he warned, adding that Brussels should instead pursue diplomacy with Moscow.