Poland Blasts Hungary Over Ukraine Military Funding Blockade
Addressing reporters in Warsaw, Sikorski minced no words in characterizing Hungary's conduct as damaging to both Poland's national security and the bloc's collective standing against Moscow's ongoing war.
He described Hungary's behavior as "outrageous, but not surprising," warning that Budapest's repeated interventions were not merely procedural inconveniences but deliberate acts with real strategic consequences.
At the center of Sikorski's grievances was Hungary's blockage of disbursements from the European Peace Facility — a mechanism designed to reimburse EU member states that have transferred military equipment to Ukraine.
"This is a blockage of around €7 billion ($8.3 billion)," Sikorski said, adding that Poland alone is waiting for roughly €500 million (about 2 billion zlotys) earmarked for its Armed Forces Modernization Fund. "Despite negotiations, Hungary remains implacable," he said, accusing Budapest of obstructing efforts to support countries that have assisted Ukraine.
Sikorski further charged Hungary with violating the principle of European solidarity enshrined in the Treaty of Lisbon, alleging that Budapest was exploiting EU procedural mechanisms to serve domestic political agendas and advance anti-Ukrainian rhetoric.
Beyond the funding dispute, Sikorski accused Hungary of blocking the EU's 20th package of sanctions against Russia and delaying approval of a major EU loan package for Ukraine — moves he argued were eroding Brussels' negotiating leverage with Moscow and financially prolonging the conflict.
"For some reason, Hungary prefers to buy oil and gas from Vladimir Putin, even though it has the technical ability to source supplies from the south at comparable prices," Sikorski said. "The goal of the entire community should be to cut off funding for the Russian war machine."
Budapest has long maintained that punitive sanctions and energy supply disruptions would place an undue economic burden on Hungarian consumers, framing its resistance as a matter of national energy security rather than political defiance. Hungary's government has consistently rejected accusations of bad faith, insisting it supports peace and acts in accordance with its sovereign interests while pushing back against what it describes as coercive pressure from Brussels.
The press conference also drew Sikorski into a separate domestic controversy. Asked about reports that Poland's president could veto the country's participation in the EU's SAFE defense program — a joint arms procurement initiative aimed at bolstering Europe's defense industrial base — the foreign minister issued a stark warning, even as he acknowledged he had not reviewed the relevant documents.
He cautioned that any such veto would constitute "a shocking betrayal" and "a misappropriation of the constitutional role" of the head of state, suggesting the move would represent a capitulation to political pressure from Nowogrodzka Street — a pointed reference to the headquarters of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party.
"This would not be fulfilling the constitutional duty of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces," Sikorski said, adding that he hoped the military and uniformed services would publicly express their views if such a decision were taken.
The escalating war of words between Warsaw and Budapest lays bare deepening fractures within the EU over how to confront Russia's invasion as the conflict enters its fourth year. Poland has consistently championed tougher sanctions and expanded military assistance, while Hungary has remained an outlier — resisting measures it frames as economically and politically harmful.
Veteran diplomats in Brussels have grown increasingly alarmed that habitual obstruction by individual member states risks deadlocking EU decision-making at the very moment when cohesion is considered most vital.
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