European Support for Ukraine Stumbles on Eve of Invasion’s 4th Anniversary

Hungary said that it would block both the latest sanctions package on Russia and a financial aid package to Kyiv worth about $106 billion.

Feb. 23, 2026Updated 2:08 p.m. ETThe European Union had hoped to make a big show of support for Ukraine this week, on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion and at a moment when there has been little sign of progress in U.S.-mediated efforts to end the war.

But those plans have been upended after Hungary said that it would block the latest package of sanctions against Russia and that it would also stall progress on an already-agreed-to financial aid package for Ukraine.

“Unfortunately, we did not reach an agreement on the 20th sanctions package,” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said at a news conference after a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday. “This is a setback and message we didn’t want to send today.”

The sanctions package could still pass with time, and officials and diplomats are also hoping that the delay to the aid package is a snag and not a derailment. Nonetheless, the problems underscore how the bloc’s consensus-based decision-making process can grind to a standstill.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/w...u-hungary.html