00:00Well, good morning, Maven. Welcome back to this Foreign Affairs Minister's meeting on the eve of the fourth anniversary of
00:04Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
00:06And I'm joined now by the Foreign Affairs Minister of Lithuania, Minister Budrys, who, of course, Lithuania is a frontline
00:12country minister.
00:13Just tell us, first of all, your reaction to that bombshell announcement by Hungary over the weekend on Friday about
00:19blocking this lifeline loan.
00:20That was very frustrating, of course, and we were expecting that everything was already prepared for the fourth anniversary
00:26and we will be ready to deliver new sanctions package, 20 sanctions package, and also 90 billion euros loan to
00:34Ukraine.
00:34And that will be something to show that Europe is solid, Europe is resolved, and we can deliver.
00:41Now we cannot, and this is really frustrating.
00:43On the other hand, it's not the first time when we see one country blocking our collective action for the
00:49internal politics.
00:51I don't know for what reasons, but they're absolutely in opposite to European security interest.
00:55And we have to be very honest about it, whether we are still the family of the countries that are
01:00sharing the values, sharing the security interest, and sharing the future.
01:04Whether we are in 27 really effective, because we cannot be disrupted each time by these vetoes.
01:10Indeed, you told me just a few minutes ago that you will look the Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister in the
01:15eye, Peter Sarto.
01:16What do you say to him today?
01:18That's what we expect from the partners, what we expect from the European Union, and we expect a clear explanation
01:24of how it contradicts their national interest,
01:27because this is the only reason how you can block the collective action.
01:31And we saw so many times this exploitation of the principle of unanimity.
01:36We have to review whether we have to review the very decision-making process,
01:40but we have to review the powers of one of the member states, because we cannot continue like this, because
01:47so many difficult issues are in front of us.
01:49So that is actually the key question here.
01:51That's what everybody I've spoken to over the weekend is saying.
01:54This cannot go on, that one country can use and abuse the veto.
01:57What should the solution be in relation to Hungary, because it is the country that does it the most?
02:02We have to go into the discussion about the decision-making in the common foreign security policy and whether we
02:08should move to QMV.
02:09Lithuania was one of the biggest skeptics, and we were supporters of unanimity.
02:14Now I see how it is disrupted each time.
02:18Now I'm also leaning to the position that we should use more QMV.
02:21Another thing is the principles that we have in Article 7,
02:25what allows us to reduce the voting rights of one of the member if we cannot proceed further.
02:30Because with Article 7, just to interrupt you there, I mean, it's not been possible to get a consensus there,
02:35or even a two-thirds majority.
02:36Do you think that might have changed, that EU member states are a bit more frustrated with Hungary, that they
02:41might push for this?
02:42When I see the faces across the table, I understand what is beneath there, what will be the precedent for
02:48the future,
02:49but we cannot block ourselves, because otherwise we would move to other formats to make a decision, but not the
02:54EU.
02:55It means that it will be the end for EU as geopolitical actor in the future.
02:58So this is what is at stake. I'm not even mentioning the European security architecture in the future.
03:03So this is a real tough issue.
03:05If we cannot proceed, we cannot each time prepare some carrots to the donkey to move further.
03:12So we have to, you know, take also sticks.
03:14Okay, so what is the immediate resolution to this?
03:17Okay, because if this 90 billion euro loan is blocked, we know that Ukraine is going to run out of
03:21money within the next six to eight weeks.
03:23What's the solution? Is it bilateral loans from member states?
03:26I mean, what to do?
03:28I still have the hope, I'm optimistic, that we will proceed further.
03:32There are some certain instruments that the European Commission has, and there are some interests also of Hungary, what they
03:39want to receive from the European Union.
03:41So I'm optimistic that we will get there.
03:43But we are late, because Ukrainians need money right now.
03:46And of course, there are, you know, bilateral tracks.
03:48And on this one, we also have to be really honest.
03:51Those are Nordic, Baltic countries, Germany, Netherlands, probably, Poland, some others I won't name, everyone.
03:57But not every country supports Ukraine at the same level.
04:01Some of them, you know, only, you know, talk more than, or invest some other material, but not the finances.
04:08They need a hard currency and money.
04:10Okay, Minister for Lithuania, thank you very much for joining us on Euronews.
04:13And back to you, Maeve.
04:15Thank you very much.
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