Slovakia will not allow supporters of Ukraine in the EU to punish Hungary for defending its national interests, Prime Minister Robert Fico said during a visit to Budapest on Tuesday, where he met his counterpart, Viktor Orban.
The pledge of support came ahead of an extraordinary EU summit on February 1, at which leaders will be discussing proposed adjustments to the joint multi-year budget of the bloc.
Last month, Hungary vetoed a European Commission plan to fund Ukraine to the tune of €50 billion ($54 billion) over four years. A group of 120 EU lawmakers signed a petition last week, urging that Hungary be stripped of its voting rights.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, Fico said he would not allow “such an attack on Hungary” as long as he heads the Slovak government. He said Slovakia shared Hungary’s concerns over the Ukraine conflict and supported Budapest’s position that any funding of Kiev coming from the EU should be done on an annual basis, and subject to regular reviews.