Hungarian Prime Minister Refuses to Unblock €90 Billion for Ukraine
Leaders of EU countries were unable to convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to unblock the provision of a €90 billion loan to Ukraine at today’s summit.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing Politico.
Also read: €90 billion loan for Ukraine: EU leaders gave a positive forecast for the first tranche
Four unnamed diplomats and officials informed the publication about the failed attempts to persuade Orbán.
According to them, the loan was discussed for an hour and a half. During the discussions, a clear path to a deal on the loan did not emerge.
One diplomat told Politico that European Council President António Costa sharply criticized Orbán’s behavior, calling the situation unacceptable.
The source noted that Costa added that the actions of the Hungarian Prime Minister violate the terms of cooperation that underpin the EU—this “red line” had not been crossed by any leader before.
Hungary is Blackmailing Ukraine
Recall that the Hungarian authorities have blocked the provision of a €90 billion loan to Ukraine. For the funds to start being transferred to Ukraine, the consent of all EU member states is required.
Budapest began blocking the loan transfer after the operation of the Druzhba pipeline was suspended due to a Russian strike at the end of January.
Hungary believes that the transit of Russian oil through Druzhba ceased allegedly at Ukraine’s initiative.
Recently, Ukraine accepted the European Union’s proposal to repair the pipeline, which will take place with the financial and technical support of the bloc.
Despite this, Hungary continues to block the transfer of funds to Ukraine. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that his country would not lift the veto until the supply of Russian oil through Ukrainian territory is resumed.
