Financial diplomacy: EU prepares a bridgehead to bypass Orban's veto on supporting Ukraine.

The European Union seeks ways to bypass Hungary's veto on funding Ukraine

Hungary is blocking more than 6 billion euros of aid for Ukraine, and therefore the European External Action Service is considering allowing member states to make voluntary contributions to the European Peace Facility to bypass this veto. This means that funds would come based on depositor agreement rather than unanimous support.

While Hungary has been blocking funding for over a year, the question of how widely this new plan will be supported remains open. Many key decisions require unanimous approval. EU ambassadors will meet at the next meeting to discuss these details.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban opposes aid to Ukraine in the war. He has provoked criticism from old Europe with his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The European Commission also refuses to send senior officials to important meetings in Hungary.

Such an intransigent stance by Hungary on financing Ukraine has forced diplomats to seek ways to protect aid from the veto. The European Peace Facility has approved seven aid packages totaling 3.5 billion euros following Russia's aggression, as well as 2 billion euros for the supply of ammunition.