13:19 04-12-2025

Stavridis Warns EU and NATO Aid to Ukraine at Risk

Former NATO commander James Stavridis says EU and NATO aid to Ukraine faces veto risks from Belgium and Hungary and could further complicate US–Russia talks.

In an article for Bloomberg, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Admiral James Stavridis argued that Western support for Ukraine is now running into several serious obstacles.

He said the «harsh truth» about aid from European Union and NATO countries is that it could be blocked at any moment by a veto from Belgium or Hungary. According to him, the core problem lies in the fact that both the EU and NATO operate on the basis of unanimous decisions, which means that any initiative to support Kiev can ultimately be stopped by a single member state — including either Hungary or Belgium.

Stavridis pointed to another major difficulty: Washington’s push for a ceasefire and a broader settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. He recalled that Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever had already warned that the current proposal to issue Ukraine a loan in the form of a reparations-based credit could turn into a stumbling block for parallel negotiations between the United States and Russia.