France’s Macron to meet Hungary’s Orban to discuss Ukraine

BUDAPEST - French President Emmanuel Macron will receive Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for a working dinner at the Elysee Palace on Dec 7, in a bid to find a compromise ahead of next week’s EU summit.

The two leaders are due to discuss “various aspects of European support for Ukraine”, as well as other topics on the summit’s agenda, according to a statement released by the French presidential office on Dec 5.

Mr Orban’s press chief, Mr Bertalan Havasi, also confirmed the leader’s visit to Paris to private Hungarian broadcaster ATV.

The Hungarian leader stands out among EU peers as the one with by far the closest ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has recently stepped up his spoiler tactics within the bloc.

In a letter sent to EU chief Charles Michel on Dec 4, Mr Orban demanded the postponement of key decisions on Ukraine, including additional financial aid to the war-torn country and the possibility of beginning EU membership negotiations.

The European Commission last month recommended that membership talks begin with Ukraine and Moldova.

It is also proposing a €50 billion (S$70 billion) financial lifeline for Kyiv as part of a revision of the bloc’s long-term budget.

But Mr Orban suggested dropping these matters from the agenda of the Dec 14-15 Brussels summit “as the obvious lack of consensus would inevitably lead to failure.”

As most EU decisions require unanimity, Hungary can potentially veto both proposals.

Critics accuse Mr Orban of trying to blackmail Brussels to gain access to billions of euros in EU funding.

The European Commission is withholding nearly €22 billion from Hungary over concerns about corruption and perceived backsliding of democratic norms.

In November, Brussels said it may release up to €10 billion of those funds, saying that Hungary has improved judicial independence. AFP