Brussels, May 31 (Agency) A number of EU leaders are planning to “punish” Hungary for its opposition to supporting Ukraine by barring its representatives from senior posts in the European Commission following elections in June, Politico reported on Thursday, citing three diplomats familiar with the discussions. In March, the Council of the EU raised the ceiling of the European Peace Facility funding for Ukraine by establishing the Ukraine Assistance Fund, providing an extra 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) in military aid to Kiev, including lethal and non-lethal military equipment and training. On Monday, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said that Hungary continued to block the assistance.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s EU counterparts intend to provide his country with a weak portfolio for his stance on aid to Kiev when the new EU Commission is elected, the diplomats said. One of them was cited as saying that there was hardly “even a question” of the country being allowed to retain control of any high positions. Hungary wants to keep the enlargement post, but EU leaders reportedly do not want Budapest’s current Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, or any other Hungarian to continue in such a senior position. The European elections are slated for June 6–9 to elect the new European Parliament, which will later hold a vote to approve the candidature of the president of the European Commission and other commissioners.