EU considers depriving Orban from voting to approve aid package for Ukraine

The Financial Times reports that some officials are proposing a penalty procedure under Article 7 of the 2007 European Union Treaty for violating the rule of law, which could lead to the termination of Hungary's voting rights.

However, this decision could be blocked by any other EU member state. Nevertheless, the government shift in Poland means that Hungary no longer has a guaranteed protector.

Many countries have expressed concern about using what is essentially the EU's biggest weapon against a member state.

According to officials, the priority is to persuade Orban by clearly explaining what they called the "full costs" of isolating him. If that fails, the 26 other EU members could strike a deal to help Ukraine individually, although this would take time and offer only a short-term solution.

“Maybe Hungary can create more trouble,” said a senior EU official who attended the summit in Brussels last week. “Maybe Hungary can force us to use a few different tools. But ultimately Hungary cannot stop us providing money to Ukraine.”

• In a commentary to Bild, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's action of removing Hungarian leader Viktor Orban from the hall at the EU summit as one that "will go down in history as an act of German leadership in the interests of Europe."