Hungary keeps block on disbursing military aid tranche to Ukraine -minister

Hungary will block the disbursement of the next tranche of military aid to Ukraine under the European Peace Facility (EPF) until Kyiv provides "guarantees" that OTP bank or other Hungarian firms will not be blacklisted as "international sponsors of war", the country's foreign minister said on Monday.

The EPF, created in 2021, is meant to finance actions that prevent conflicts, build peace and strengthen international security.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a video clip from Brussels that Hungary had faced "pressure" at a meeting to support the payout of 500 million euros, but he said Budapest could not give its backing without such guarantees.