Support Ukraine for "as long as it takes", EU chief urges bloc

Support Ukraine for "as long as it takes", EU chief urges bloc

By Gabriela Baczynska

The European Union's chief executive called on Wednesday for the bloc to support Ukraine as long as it takes, her remarks ahead of a key European leaders' summit standing in sharp contrast with Hungary's criticism of giving more aid to Kyiv.

Hungary is opposed to granting Ukraine more financial aid and has threatened to veto plans to advance Kyiv's EU membership bid at a summit of the bloc's leaders in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

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Ukraine is looking to the summit for a positive signal on its future in the European Union and existential budget aid as the country is increasingly exhausted from nearly two years of fighting a war against a Russian invasion.

"As the war drags on, we must prove what it means to support Ukraine for as long as it takes," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament ahead of the leaders' summit.

Her Commission has proposed that the summit takes a decision this week to start EU membership talks with Ukraine once it meets the four outstanding conditions set out previously to advance Kyiv's EU hopes. The Brussels EU executive suggested that could happen in March.

Von der Leyen said on Wednesday the laws Ukraine passed last week -- including on national minorities, an issue raised by Hungary -- cleared three of the remaining tasks, meaning that only one was missing: a new lobbying law to rein in oligarchs.

While EU officials and Budapest say they may work around Hungary's opposition to a proposal to give Ukraine 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in economic aid through 2027, advancing Ukraine's European aspirations requires unanimous backing of all the bloc's 27 states.

Hungary -- whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban boasts about his ties with Moscow at a time the bloc is trying to isolate it for waging the war against Ukraine -- has dug its heels in, setting the stage for a showdown at the year's final summit of EU heads.