Before the extraordinary EU summit, where €50 billion of aid for Ukraine was finally agreed, there were long negotiations that took place in the background

Prime minister Orbán of Hungary previously blocked the decision in December and leaders were negotiating even at the last minute to avoid the use of a veto by Hungary.

Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, shared a picture half an hour before the start of the summit, as Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, is negotiating with Viktor Orbán in the company of French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Tusk of Poland stated that the leaders of the 26 member states do not have a plan B, so it is up to Viktor Orbán to decide "whether Hungary wants to be a member of our community or not."

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also spoke about the importance of a unanimous decision, and said that they cannot leave the European Council building today without an agreement, as only one person would be happy with that, Vladimir Putin.

The details of the background negotiations are not known at this stage, but it is believed to relate to EU funding for Hungary, which is frozen due to concerns about human rights and the rule of law in the country.