Romain Rouillard 19:35 p.m., December 15, 2023

Guest of Pierre de Vilno in "Europe 1 soir week-end", Vadym Omelchenko, Ukrainian ambassador to France, returned to Viktor Orbán's decision to block the European support fund of 50 billion euros for Kiev. According to him, the veto was motivated by the Hungarian leader's acquaintance with Vladimir Putin.

At the EU summit, the joy was short-lived for Ukraine. On Thursday evening, after European Council President Charles Michel announced the opening of accession negotiations with Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed a "victory for Ukraine" and even for "all of Europe". Among the 27 member states, Hungary had long threatened to block this first step, before finally abstaining. Never mind, its president Viktor Orbán did indeed use his right of veto on the night of Thursday to Friday to obstruct the disbursement of a support fund of 50 billion euros (33 billion in loans and 17 billion in grants) to a country still consumed by the war imposed on it by Russia.

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Guest of Pierre de Vilno in Europe 1 evening weekend, Vadym Omelchenko, Ukrainian ambassador to France, has precisely questioned Moscow in this decision. More precisely, the affinities between Viktor Orbán and his Russian counterpart. According to him, "it is Vladimir Putin's opinion" that has been expressed through this blockage, far from being surprising, he assures. "We were ready, we knew. We already knew his opinion, he had made it known publicly," he recalled.

'Not the impression' of having been 'forgotten'

On Europe 1, Vadym Omelchenko nevertheless stressed "the very proactive position of the French delegation" in favor of the support fund for Ukraine. On Friday, Emmanuel Macron called on Viktor Orbán to "behave like a European" and not to take the EU "hostage". The issue of financial aid to Ukraine was also at the heart of Volodymyr Zelensky's trip to Washington earlier this week. The Ukrainian leader tried to convince the U.S. Congress to continue military and financial support for his country, until the Russian threat was definitively removed. For the time being, the $60 billion package remains blocked on the other side of the Atlantic due to the opposition of several Republican elected officials.

As far as the European Union is concerned, a new summit is already scheduled for the beginning of January, Charles Michel said on Friday. He said he was "extremely confident and optimistic" about the EU's ability to deliver on its commitments to Ukraine. At a time when international attention is now also turning to the Middle East, where Israel and the terrorist movement Hamas are waging a merciless war against each other, Vadym Omelchenko says he "does not feel" that he has been "forgotten" by the international community. "I feel a very strong solidarity, which I have never seen before," he said.