EU Gets Hungary to Agree on 50 Billion Euro Aid Package for Ukraine

The EU successfully pressured Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to approve a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid package to Ukraine, and EU leaders agreed to push through the spending on Thursday.

Ahead of the summit, Financial Times reported that the EU was threatening to sabotage Hungary’s economy if Orban vetoed the spending package. A European diplomat acknowledged to FT that the strategy was “blackmail.”

Orban also held one-on-one meetings with some other European leaders who convinced him to approve the aid.