The President of the European Council Charles Michael has announced that all 27 European leaders have agreed to a €50bn ($55bn; £43bn) aid package for Ukraine.
Michael said the agreement “locks in steadfast, long-term, predictable funding for Ukraine”.
The EU had earlier stated that they were in talks with Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban in view of a collaboration to raise the funds.
The Council however, also added that they are ready to provide the cash to Kyiv without Hungary if their arguments fail.
Orban had said he wanted to force a rethink of EU policy towards Ukraine and questioned the idea of committing to fund Ukraine for the next four years.
Diplomatic sources said that the new deal includes a yearly discussion of the package and the option to review it in two years, “if needed”.
The Hungarian PM had been pushing for a yearly vote on the package, but there were fears this would have left the deal exposed to an annual veto threat from Hungary.
“A good day for Europe,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on X.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed gratitude to the EU leaders, highlighting that the decision was taken by all 27 leaders.
Chioma Kalu
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