"This 50 billion euros we are talking about will not be spent on weapons, but is aimed at preventing the Ukrainian state, which has reached bankruptcy, from collapsing. In terms of the Ukrainian economy, Ukraine has collapsed … If the Americans and we, the Europeans, do not send weapons, ‘the shop can be shut down,’ which means no pensions, no payments, no nothing," Orban told Hungary's Kossuth Radio.
The issue of military aid to Ukraine from the European Peace Facility will be discussed at the meeting of the EU foreign ministers, Orban added.
Hungary has not sent any weapons to Ukraine and has no plans to do so, the prime minister said.
"Hungary would like to talk about peace, we have sent money for peace and so on. But this was impossible, as the West thinks time is on our side and the longer the war is, the better the military situation in Ukraine gets. I think the opposite is true, that time is on the Russian side and the longer the war lasts, the more people will die and the balance of power will not change in favor of Ukraine. Why are we continuing the war then?" Orban told the radio.
On Thursday, EU leaders reached an agreement to allocate 50 billion euros as part of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine for the period until 2027.
The total amount of EU macro-financial assistance to Ukraine last year amounted to 18 billion euros, transferred in monthly payments of 1.5 billion euros. This assistance was provided to Kiev regardless of the implementation of reforms and the fight against corruption.