After ratcheting up pressure on Hungary in recent weeks, European leaders have convinced premier Viktor Orbán to stop blocking a crucial extension of aid for Ukraine’s war effort. The deal emerged from a meeting of the European Council in Brussels this Thursday, where European Union (EU) heads of government agreed on an aid package in the form of a four-year, €50 billion lifeline to Ukraine.

With the Russia-Ukraine conflict descending into a near-hopeless war of attrition in recent months, support for Kyiv from the United States and Europe has appeared increasingly fragile. In Washington, Ukraine funding is caught in the mire of Republican efforts to exact steep concessions from congressional Democrats and the Biden administration on immigration. The EU debate also saw Ukraine become a bargaining chip. Orbán’s far-right government, which has faced a series of fiscal sanctions from Brussels for its attacks on civil society and the judiciary, has been desperate for leverage over EU planners in its efforts to unwind frozen EU funds destined for Hungary as part of the bloc’s recent stimulus packages.

The European Council had last met to discuss Ukraine funding in December, when Hungary blocked an agreement. This came despite the body’s move to free up €10 billion for Budapest, nominally on the grounds that Orbán had made progress in acceding to EU demands for liberal political reforms as EU officials alleged, although it was not hard to see geopolitical priorities trumping concerns about rule of law. However, this olive branch from the European Commission only served to clear the Hungarian veto during a vote on granting Ukraine candidacy status for EU membership. Orbán left the room during the final tally, effectively abstaining from a vote that would otherwise have been vetoed by the opposition of a single member state.