Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and visiting European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton say they hope that the European Council will agree on a support package for Ukraine in early February, despite opposition from Hungary.
“All the other members agree and see the situation in exactly the same way, with the exception of Hungary, but nobody has put their hands up yet and work is going on very intensively. Discussion are underway and we are looking for solutions to have a 27-nation solution,” Šimonytė told a joint press conference following her meeting with Breton.
Šimonytė also noted that all other solutions, which are theoretically possible within the framework of inter-state special treaties or special schemes, are “sub-optimal” because they would signal disunity in the EU.
“It is very important that we have a unanimous decision, a decision made by 27 member states, and I hope that European leaders will have the wisdom to find such a solution on February 1,” the prime minister said.
For his part, Breton says that European leaders, despite their disagreements, will eventually find solutions.
“Of course, this is Europe, we dissent and then we find ways together. I trust that we will find a way like always,” he said.
In December, European leaders failed to approve a 50-billion-euro four-year aid package for Ukraine. Kyiv needs the money to keep its war-torn economy going, but the decision was blocked by Hungary. EU leaders now hope to reach an agreement at an extraordinary European Council meeting in February.
Breton also met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on Friday. They discussed how to boost the potential of EU member states’ defence industries, the new European Defence Industrial Strategy, and military assistance to Ukraine, the Lithuanian president’s office said in a press release.
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