The head of the European Commission identifies Ukraine as one of the priorities during Hungary’s presidency in the EU Council

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed the European Parliament on October 9 to present the agenda for Hungary’s presidency in the European Union Council. She noted that the meeting took place three weeks later than planned due to floods in Europe and promised continued support for Hungarians affected by the natural disaster.

Von der Leyen outlined several key challenges for the EU during Hungary’s presidency, including Ukraine, competitiveness, and migration. “Our Ukrainian friends are heading into the third winter of war. And Russia is trying to make it the hardest winter yet. Last month, Russia sent over 1,300 drones against Ukrainian cities. Throughout the summer, hundreds of missiles have rained on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” she stated.

At the same time, she remarked that some still blame “on Putin’s lust for power but on Ukraine’s thirst for freedom: “Would they ever blame the Hungarians for the Soviet invasion of 1956? Would they ever blame the Czechs and Slovaks for the Soviet repression of 1968? Would they ever blame the Lithuanians for the Soviet crackdown of 1991? We, Europeans, may have different histories and different languages, but there is no European language in which peace is synonymous with surrender. And sovereignty is synonymous with occupation. The people of Ukraine are freedom fighters, just like the heroes that freed Central and Eastern Europe from Soviet rule.”

The head of the European Commission urged for continued political, financial, and military support for Ukraine. She specifically mentioned a €35 billion loan that the EU plans to provide to Ukraine using immobilised Russian assets. Hungary has previously stated it would block this step until after the U.S. presidential election.

She also called for further diversification of energy supplies to the EU and criticized Budapest’s migration policy, particularly regarding the admission of Russian citizens into EU territory.

Recently, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has faced criticism from the West for his often pro-Russian stance, stated that Ukraine cannot win the war against Russia and reiterated the need for negotiations. Reports indicate that Hungary will not support changes to EU sanctions against immobilised Russian assets that would enable a total loan of €45 billion to Ukraine, of which €35 billion was offered by the EU. According to the country’s finance minister, Budapest intends to wait on this decision until after the U.S. presidential election in November.

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