Irish PM at Davos: 'Fight for Ukraine is a fight for wider European values'

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says he believes the European Council will vote to approve a pending €50 billion Ukraine fund in February.

Transcript

00:00 Ireland's Prime Minister believes EU countries will find a way to give Ukraine a 50 billion

00:06 euro fund currently being blocked by Hungary.

00:10 The aid will provide key with long-term financing during its war against Russia's invasion.

00:15 It requires unanimous approval from EU members, but Budapest has vetoed the package.

00:21 The Overhead car says the remaining states have a plan B.

00:25 The European Council will meet on the 1st of February.

00:27 I believe it would be possible for us to agree that 50 billion euro package of grants and

00:31 loans for Ukraine.

00:32 If it is not possible for us to do it as a European Union, well then I think we'll have

00:36 to do it as governments.

00:37 Hopefully it won't come to that.

00:39 I'd much prefer to see us do it on the basis of unanimity, but we have to have a plan B

00:44 and a fallback option.

00:45 And to me that would be the governments that are willing and able to continue to support

00:51 Ukraine, and that's the vast majority of governments in Europe would do so on a multilateral basis.

00:57 Prime Minister Viktor Orban has refused to green light the Ukraine assistance amid a

01:01 row with Brussels over Hungary's access to pandemic recovery funds.

01:06 Negotiations are underway ahead of the coming EU Council meeting.

01:11 (whooshing)