A legislative proposal that would allow Ukraine to join the European Defence Fund will be put to a vote in the European Parliament before the end of 2025, according to the head of the Parliament's Security and Defence Committee.

"Our committee is working expeditiously, and I am pleased that we plan to vote on the EU Defence Omnibus Package before the end of this year, to be ready for the next stage of the EU's defence agenda," said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann of Germany during a committee session in Brussels on 6 November, according to European Pravda.

EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius, who attended the committee meeting, noted that on the evening of 5 October, a defence mini-Omnibus was preliminarily agreed upon, which "will enable Ukraine to become an associate member of the European Defence Fund."

The draft EU legislation, proposed by the European Commission in April 2025, was informally agreed upon on Wednesday evening by European Parliament members and Denmark's EU Council presidency. The proposal increases funding for defence-related investments by amending existing EU programs: the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), Horizon Europe, the European Defence Fund (EDF), the Digital Europe Programme (DEP), and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) — with the aim of directing EU funds toward defence needs under the ReArm Europe plan.

"MEPs insisted that the legislation should allow for broader support to Ukraine's defence industry and guarantee its participation in the European Defence Fund," the European Parliament press service told Europeiska Pravda.

Denmark's EU presidency confirmed that Ukraine's inclusion in the European Defence Fund will create "new opportunities for Ukrainian entities to join collaborative research and development projects in defence within the EU in the future."

The EDF budget for 2021-2027 is approximately €7.3 billion ($ 8.4 bn), of which €2.7 bn ($3.1 bn) is allocated to joint defence research and €5.3 bn ($6.1 bn) to joint defence capability development projects, complementing national contributions.

The legislative act incorporating Ukraine's accession to the EDF will be coordinated at the European Parliament committee level in the coming weeks and will be brought to a plenary vote by the end of the year. Following this, it must be approved by the EU Council.

On 16 October , the European Commission presented a defence roadmap — a comprehensive plan to strengthen European defence capabilities, which includes countering drones and other threats from air, sea, and space. Ukraine was identified as a key component of the EU's defence readiness.

Hungary is seeking to create a Ukraine-skeptic alliance within the EU, aligning with political forces in Czechia and Slovakia. Pro-Russian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s inner circle is pushing to reshape regional cooperation in a way that could stall Brussels’ support for Ukraine, Politico reports.

Hungary aims to form anti-Ukraine alliance with Czechia and Slovakia

Orbán is working to form a political bloc inside the EU with Czechia and Slovakia, according to his political director Balázs Orbán. The plan involves cooperation with Czech populist leader Andrej Babiš and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, both of whom have expressed skepticism over continued European aid to Ukraine.

The political director told Politico the group would aim to coordinate ahead of EU Council summits and potentially act as a joint force to shape the bloc’s position. While the alliance remains informal for now, Hungary hopes it will grow stronger over time.

Echoes of the past: from the Visegrád 4 to a new V3

This would not be the first time such an alliance emerged in Central Europe. During the 2015 migration crisis, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland formed the so-called Visegrád 4 (V4), opposing mandatory relocation of migrants and promoting hardline border policies. At the time, the alliance was led by then-Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and coordinated closely on social and migration issues.

But after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the group fractured. Poland became a key backer of Ukraine, while Hungary took the opposite stance. The potential new formation would exclude Poland, whose current Prime Minister Donald Tusk strongly supports Ukraine.

Instead, Hungary is looking to Fico and Babiš, who have both called for negotiations with Moscow and questioned sanctions against Russia. Still, concrete steps remain limited. Fico, re-elected in 2023, has not formally joined Orbán on any shared policies, and Babiš has yet to form a government after his recent election win.

Orbán’s ambitions reach beyond the Council

Balázs Orbán said Budapest aims to grow its influence in the European Parliament. Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party, part of the far-right Patriots for Europe group, is looking to build ties with other conservative or populist factions, including the European Conservatives and Reformists and the Europe of Sovereign Nations group. He also mentioned interest in “some leftist groups.”