EU budget battle erupts as four countries defy Merz over Ukraine aid

Four EU leaders have pushed back against German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's demand to make approval of the bloc's next long-term budget conditional on fresh aid for Ukraine. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called the move blackmail and threatened to use his country's veto. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš pointed to 100 billion euros already earmarked for Ukraine in the next EU budget, although the money would only become available from 2028. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán opposed linking the two issues, saying his country could not take on more EU debt because of its budget deficit. I'll help you with the results. Bulgaria's Rumen Radev also called for an exemption from future Ukraine credit lines, citing high deficits. He said Sofia would continue supporting Ukraine through energy supply. Two minutes for the crew. Brussels has promised around 45 billion euros to help close Ukraine's 70 billion euro funding gap next year. Merz says support for Kyiv is a matter of European security and its costs should be shared more fairly.