EU Court Dismisses Hungarian Challenge to Using Russian Asset Profits for Ukraine

The European Union's Court of Justice has dismissed a legal challenge filed by the Hungarian government seeking to block the use of profits from frozen Russian assets to fund military aid for Ukraine. The court ruled that the case does not fall within its jurisdiction because it concerns the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, which generally remains under the remit of member states rather than the EU judicature.

The dispute began after EU member states agreed to use interest generated from Russian government assets, frozen following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, to support the Ukrainian armed forces. While the Hungarian government under Viktor Orban initially supported the general idea of using the profits, it later challenged the specific procedure and the distribution of funds. Peter Szijjarto, the minister of foreign affairs and trade at the time, described the exclusion of Hungary from certain decisions as a violation of rules.

Since 2022, the European Peace Facility has provided 11.1 billion euros in support to Kyiv. While the current Hungarian Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, has not commented on this specific court case, he has adopted a more constructive approach toward the EU since taking office in May. He has affirmed Ukraine's right to defend itself, although he has ruled out providing direct military assistance from Hungary.