Hungary’s Orban continues to block Ukraine loan at EU summit | Russia-Ukraine war News

Viktor Orban obstructs the implementation of a key Ukraine loan as Russia’s war continues for a fifth year.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has resisted requests by other European leaders to lift his blockade on a vital 90-billion-euro ($103bn) EU loan to Ukraine, leaving the much-needed funding in limbo.

At summit talks in Brussels on Thursday, European officials said efforts by other EU leaders to convince Orban, who has cordial ties with Russia and has clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had failed.

“Discussion was ‌tough and rough, but Viktor is still not budging,” one European official told Reuters.

Another official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential discussions between leaders, said that “everyone is increasingly angry with Orban.”

With Russia’s war in Ukraine in its fifth year, Kyiv is grappling with a ballooning budget deficit and has said there are no alternative financing options if the loan remains blocked.

The European Council agreed to the loan in December, but Hungary’s leader has blocked its implementation, citing a dispute over ⁠a war-damaged Druzhba pipeline.

The pipeline carried Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia but was damaged by a Russian attack in January. Ukraine ⁠says it will take some time to repair, but Hungary insists it is already ready to ⁠operate and claims Kyiv is deliberately cutting supplies.

Speaking before the summit, Orban said, “The Hungarian position is very simple. We are ready to support Ukraine when we get our oil, which is blocked by them.”

Ukraine’s president addressed the summit by videolink to plead for the funds’ release.

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said Hungary’s veto was “unacceptable” and stressed that funds to Ukraine must be “delivered as quickly as possible.”

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Orban was using Ukraine as a weapon in his election campaign, before a vote scheduled on April 12

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever raised the prospect that the EU may have to wait until after Hungary’s election to implement the loan.

Orban, a nationalist ally of ⁠US President Donald Trump, has often been a thorn in the side of mainstream EU politicians, but had not ⁠previously gone back on a deal agreed among EU leaders.