Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Thursday said the European Union should stop sending money to the Ukrainian government after corruption reports.
“There’s a war mafia, a corrupt system working in Ukraine, and then the European Commission president … instead of stopping the payments and demanding for immediate financial clearance, she wants to send another 100 billion to Ukraine. That is insane,”
he spoke to journalists in Brussels prior to a meeting with his European Union counterparts.
Szijjarto also said that the perspective is not positive for Ukraine at the moment.
“The time is not on the side of Ukraine. It is an illusion to say that the time is on the side of Ukraine,”
he said. He added that his nation would back U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace initiatives.
What corruption allegations triggered Hungary’s latest criticism of Kyiv?
After a comprehensive corruption investigation uncovered a $100 million kickback scheme connected to Ukraine’s energy sector, Politico reported a week ago that the EU is looking for assurances from Ukraine regarding future financial support.
Fresh resentment at widespread corruption, including in Zelenskyy’s inner circle, has been sparked by the investigation into a purported $100 million scheme to control contracting at the state nuclear agency.
Zelenskyy dismissed several senior ministers and imposed sanctions on his business partner after Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies revealed this week that some of his close associates were allegedly involved in the plot.
In addition to calling for more drastic measures to rebuild trust in the nation’s leadership, the Ukrainian parliament dismissed two ministers involved in an investigation on Wednesday.
What is the extent of the EU’s financial support to Ukraine so far?
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the European Union and its member states have promised and given Ukraine over €187 billion in total support, according to unconfirmed reports.
Financial, military, humanitarian, and refugee assistance are all included in this support. Approximately €50 billion of this total is allocated to the EU’s Ukraine Facility, while over $70 billion is provided in military assistance through various programs. Loans, grants, and in-kind contributions like medical supplies and infrastructure assistance are also included in the support package. This makes the EU institutions the largest and most reliable donor to Ukraine so far.
