BUDAPEST, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Hungary protests against what it calls an "unlawful" step planned by European Union governments to freeze Russian assets indefinitely using a qualified majority vote,
Hungary Challenges EU's Decision on Russian Asset Freeze
BUDAPEST, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Hungary protests against what it calls an "unlawful" step planned by European Union governments to freeze Russian assets indefinitely using a qualified majority vote, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a Facebook post on Friday.
"Brussels will step over the Rubicon today, with a written voting starting which will cause irreparable damage to the Union," Orban said. "Hungary protests the decision and will do its best to restore a lawful situation."
An agreement to freeze the Russian assets indefinitely would eliminate a risk to the plan of using them to finance Ukraine because Moscow-friendly Hungary and Slovakia would no longer have the power to veto an extension of the freeze every six months as now.
(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Tom Hogue)
