Hungary blocks EU Ukraine aid, deepening rift with Brussels
By RAF CASERT
Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) — A rift between the European Union and member state Hungary has deepened after Budapest vetoed an 18 -billion euro ($18.93 billion) financial aid package to Kyiv, exacerbating a dispute over the rule of law under Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his view of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. EU finance ministers also postponed any decision to punish Hungary by withholding billions of euros for failing to implement solid rule-of-law reforms. Hungary’s action made sure that the EU’s other 26 member nations would need to work out a more complicated technical plan to make sure aid can keep flowing to Kyiv in the new year.