EU leaders failed to convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to unlock a €90 billion loan to Ukraine during today’s summit.
It is reported by Politico, informs the portal PromPolitInform.
Attempts to negotiate lasted an hour and a half, but a clear path to a loan agreement did not appear. Four unnamed diplomats and officials who attended the talks confirmed that the discussions had failed.
European Council President Antonio Costa sharply criticized Orban’s behavior, calling it unacceptable. According to the source of the publication, the actions of the Hungarian prime minister violate the conditions of cooperation underlying the EU, and this is a “red line” that no leader has ever crossed before.
Budapest blocked the loan after the Druzhba pipeline was suspended at the end of January due to a Russian strike. Hungary believes that the transit of Russian oil through Druzhba stopped allegedly at the initiative of Ukraine.
Despite the fact that Ukraine agreed to repair the pipeline with the financial and technical support of the EU, Orban said that the veto will be maintained until the supply of Russian oil through Ukrainian territory is restored.
This situation delays critical financial assistance for Ukraine and calls into question the timing of energy and defense projects financed by the EU loan.
Photo by Viktor Orban
