Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, has praised Hungary for what he called an "independent stance" in the European Union.

"Hungary remains a member of the EU, [and] sometimes there are disagreements. As an aside, this decision should be viewed in the context of the dynamics of the situation in question. Because a settlement plan (or solution) is being worked out. Hungary takes an independent stance on many issues, we welcome it," Gazeta.Ru quoted Peskov as saying.

As previously reported, on Sunday, the European Commission recommended not to allocate 65% of funds (7.5 billion euros) to Hungary under three programs from the key EU fund due to problems with the rule of law in this country. At the same time, the European Commission laid the groundwork for a possible compromise that would let Budapest keep the money.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Warsaw opposed Brussels' intentions to financially punish Hungary.

In Slovakia, opinions on Brussels' plans to withhold 7.5 billion euros from Hungary are divided.