Brussels, November 20 (QNA) - Hungary today urged the European Union (EU) to halt its financial aid to the Ukrainian government due to suspected corruption related to European financial support.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, speaking ahead of a meeting with his EU counterparts at the bloc's headquarters, said, "There is a system of corruption operating in Ukraine... and despite this, the President of the European Commission wants to send another EUR 100 billion to Kyiv instead of suspending payments and demanding that all issues be resolved." He called on the bloc to stop sending funds to the Ukrainian government following the allegations of corruption.
A few days before Budapest's statement, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also clarified that his country's continued support for Ukraine requires strengthening the rule of law and transparency in resource management, noting that Berlin is monitoring the steps Kyiv is taking to combat corruption within its borders.
The Ukrainian parliament dismissed two government ministers on Wednesday over a corruption investigation and called for more comprehensive measures to restore confidence in the country's leadership, coinciding with the earlier arrest by the National Anti-Corruption Service of Ukraine of an embezzlement network led by officials and leaders of companies linked to state-owned nuclear power plants, after investigations that lasted about 15 months. (QNA)