Potential abandonment of pivotal EU regulation looming

In a notable instance of American influence on EU policy decisions, President Donald Trump intervened in a contentious issue regarding Ukraine's European integration. This intervention followed a meeting at the White House on August 18 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies.

The crux of the issue was Hungary's stance on Ukraine's EU integration, which required a personal intervention from Trump. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had repeatedly opposed initiatives on Ukraine, including the allocation of funds and its accession to the EU.

The refusal of Hungary to support these initiatives had serious consequences. On August 29, Hungary refused to sign a statement condemning Russia's strike on Kyiv, a decision that was met with criticism from the EU. This refusal resulted in the deaths of 25 people, including four children, and damaged the EU's representation.

Meanwhile, tense diplomatic disputes and prolonged negotiations, including on the extension of sanctions against Russia, have been a result of Hungary's actions.

In an effort to streamline foreign policy decision-making, ten EU countries have proposed changing the order of external policy decisions from unanimity to qualified majority. This proposed change aims to allow for faster action and prevent individual states from blocking measures supported by almost all members of the EU.

However, Hungary has rejected various "solutions" offered by the EU, as stated by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. This rejection has led to the continued blocking of the allocation of 6.6 billion euros from the peace fund.

In a bid to resolve this issue, Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after the August 18 meeting with Zelensky and European allies. Trump managed to persuade Orbán not to hinder Ukraine's European integration, although the intervention by Trump is not related to the allocation of funds or sanctions against Russia.

The proposed change to foreign policy decision-making from unanimity to qualified majority voting is not explicitly named in the provided search results. However, it is noted that Germany, France, and their European partners have pushed for more efficient decision-making through qualified majority voting in foreign policy contexts at meetings in Toulon and Copenhagen.

This intervention by Trump marks a significant moment in the ongoing process of Ukraine's integration into the EU, amidst the complex web of diplomatic relations and policy decisions within the EU.