EU leaders discuss security during Budapest meeting

2024-11-08 18:37:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

EU leaders discuss security during Budapest meeting

Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban

The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, said that the re-election of Donald Trump as president of the United States has created "a new situation" for Europe.

He made these statements at the end of the informal summit in Budapest on November 8, as he told his counterparts from the European Union that the continent cannot finance the war in Ukraine on its own.

EU leaders wrapped up a two-day summit where they held discussions on the continent's security and Russia's war on Ukraine, as Trump's re-election has raised doubts about Washington's continued support for Kiev and its commitment to the collective defense of Ukraine. NATO.

The US is Ukraine's biggest supporter, both militarily and economically, while the EU is among its biggest donors. Most EU leaders have expressed the opinion that strong support for Ukraine should be continued.

Ahead of the summit, Orban, who has friendly relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, told Hungarian state radio that the EU should rethink its stance on aid to Ukraine, calling the conflict a "lost war".

"The Americans will give up this war, point one, they will not encourage the war," said Orban, who has blocked the bloc's sanctions against Moscow.

"Europe cannot finance this war on its own... Some still want to continue sending money to this lost war, but the number of those who remain silent... of those who argue that we must adapt to the new situation is growing", he added.

But the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, whose country is the main European supporter of Ukraine, immediately reacted by saying that the bloc has not changed its position.

"Russia has invaded Ukraine and is continuing this war with the same brutality. One thing is very clear: Together as the EU, as Europeans, we must do what is required for our security. This will only be successful if everyone contributes," he said.

In the wake of the summit, European Council President Charles Michel also reaffirmed the bloc's strong support for Ukraine.

"We have to strengthen Ukraine, support Ukraine because if we don't support it, that would be the wrong signal that would be sent to Putin, but also to other authoritarian regimes around the world," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in Budapest on November 7 for a meeting of European leaders ahead of the EU summit, called on his country's allies to give Ukraine more weapons.

"There have been rumors about submission to Putin, about withdrawal, about making some concessions. It is unacceptable for Ukraine and would be suicidal for all of Europe," he said.

He also said that proposals to reach a ceasefire agreement, before reaching an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine, "are very dangerous".

As the November 8 summit ended, NATO issued a statement regarding Russia's deployment of North Korean troops, condemning it as a "dangerous extension" of the war.

NATO said North Korea has already provided "support to Russia's war effort" by providing it with ammunition and ballistic missiles.

"The deepening of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea has a major impact on Euro-Atlantic security, with implications for the Indo-Pacific as well," said NATO, adding that this military cooperation violates a number of resolutions of the Security Council of the Nations. United.

Russia and North Korea have denied that North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia in preparation for deployment to the battlefields in Ukraine. South Korea, the US and Ukraine have said that thousands of North Korean soldiers are already in Russian regions bordering Ukraine. /REL