European Council President Charles Michel addresses the media during EU summit in Brussels. File
| Photo Credit: AP
A top European Union official says the 27 EU countries have sealed a deal on new aid for Ukraine just over an hour into a summit of the bloc’s leaders and despite threats from Hungary to veto the move.
“We have a deal,” European Council President Charles Michel said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. He wrote that all “27 leaders agreed on an additional €50 billion ($54 billion) support package for Ukraine within the EU budget.”
The announcement came despite staunch objections from Hungary in December and in the days leading up to Thursday’s summit in Brussels. It was not immediately clear if any concessions were made to secure Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s approval.
Mr. Michel said that the move “locks in steadfast, long-term, predictable funding for Ukraine,” and demonstrates that the “EU is taking leadership and responsibility in support for Ukraine; we know what is at stake.”