Hungary’s foreign minister has suggested his country will continue blocking a European military aid package for Ukraine despite a recent decision by Kyiv to remove a Hungarian bank from a Ukrainian list of sponsors of Russia’s war.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said a Monday decision by the Ukrainian National Agency of Corruption Prevention to remove OTP Bank from the list was a “step in the right direction,” but he implied that Hungary required further assurances before it would change its approach to Ukraine in any international settings.
The Hungarian Foreign Ministry has invited Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency to come to Budapest “as soon as possible” to discuss the listing of OTP “so that we can negotiate an agreement that guarantees that no such decision will be taken (again) in the future,” Szijjarto said.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency temporarily removed the bank from the list last week in hopes that Budapest would lift its veto of the funding.
The Hungarian government, led by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has sparred with Kyiv over a number of issues since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
Last week, Orbán cast doubt on the prospect of the EU beginning negotiations any time soon for Ukraine to join the bloc, saying it was unrealistic to launch the accession process with a country at war.
Szijjarto said Wednesday that Hungary also expects Ukraine to remove OTP’s Russian branch and four of its Hungarian executives from a list of entities submitted for sanctions.
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Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said a Monday decision by the Ukrainian National Agency of Corruption Prevention to remove OTP Bank from the list was a “step in the right direction,” but he implied that Hungary required further assurances before it would change its approach to Ukraine in any international settings.
The Hungarian Foreign Ministry has invited Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency to come to Budapest “as soon as possible” to discuss the listing of OTP “so that we can negotiate an agreement that guarantees that no such decision will be taken (again) in the future,” Szijjarto said.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency temporarily removed the bank from the list last week in hopes that Budapest would lift its veto of the funding.
The Hungarian government, led by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has sparred with Kyiv over a number of issues since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
Last week, Orbán cast doubt on the prospect of the EU beginning negotiations any time soon for Ukraine to join the bloc, saying it was unrealistic to launch the accession process with a country at war.
Szijjarto said Wednesday that Hungary also expects Ukraine to remove OTP’s Russian branch and four of its Hungarian executives from a list of entities submitted for sanctions.
The original article contains 479 words, the summary contains 205 words. Saved 57%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!