EU leaders have agreed on a 50 billion euro aid package for Ukraine on Thursday. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says he hopes it will prompt the US Congress, which is now blocking funding for Kyiv, to follow suit.
“It sends a very good signal to the US Congress, which is likely to decide on a similar amount of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine,” Nausėda told Lithuanian reporters after the European Council meeting on Thursday where EU leaders finally agreed on four-year assistance Ukraine.
Hungary blocked the decision late last year. Budapest has recently insisted on an annual vote on the aid. However, the final decision was to regularly review and discuss aid.
“There will be no vote that would bring back some problems with the agreement or with the consensus, there is no need for them,” Nausėda said. “That possibility to come back to discuss this issue after a year has satisfied the Hungarian side.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the EU agreement.
“It is very important that the decision was made by all 27 leaders, which once again proves strong EU unity,” Zelensky said in a statement on social media, saying the package would “strengthen long-term economic and financial stability” of his country.
Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán is yet to comment on the agreement.
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