Luxembourg, Belgium - Recent

Storyline:
Hungary's foreign minister on Monday accused the European Union of bypassing the country's veto to approve the use of proceeds from frozen Russian assets for military assistance to Ukraine, calling the move an unprecedentedly "shameless violation" of EU rules.

Hungary has been blocking an EU plan devised in May to divert the frozen assets, with countries including Malta, Slovakia, and Luxembourg also voicing opposition.

Normally, EU decisions require unanimity to pass. However, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, claimed at an EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg that Hungary lacks its usual veto power due to its abstention in a previous vote on utilizing frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto, also present at the meeting, later criticized the use of the loophole on Facebook, saying "There was no example of such a shameless breach of common European rules before."

At a press conference on Monday, Borrell said that EU member states had agreed on a legal framework for the plan, under which Ukraine is set to receive 1.4 billion euros next month and an additional 1 billion euros by the end of the year, aimed at providing assistance for air defense, ammunition, and support to the Ukrainian industry.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis in February 2022, Western countries have frozen approximately 300 billion U.S. dollars' worth of Russia's foreign assets, with a significant portion located in Europe.

Shotlist:
Luxembourg, Belgium - Recent:
FILE: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg - Oct 4, 2022
1. Various of building of European Convention Center Luxembourg;
FILE: Brussels, Belgium - Date Unknown
2. Various of EU flags, headquarters of European Commission;
FILE: Moscow, Russia - Date Unknown
3. Russian national flag;
FILE: Moscow, Russia - Aug 3, 2017
4. Various of Grand Kremlin Palace;
FILE: Moscow, Russia - May 3, 2023
5. Saint Basil's Cathedral;
FILE: Kiev, Ukraine - March 12, 2022
6. National flag of Ukraine;
FILE: Kiev, Ukraine - 2018
7. Ukrainian parliament building;
FILE: Kiev, Ukraine - Oct 11, 2022
8. Various of city view, national flag of Ukraine, traffic .

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