European Union leaders have accused Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of disloyalty and blackmail after he blocked a €90bn (£77bn) loan for Ukraine.
No oil = no money, Orbán stated in a post on X after the Brussels summit, in which he refused to lift his veto, citing a damaged pipeline for Russian oil to Hungary.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described Orbán's actions as a gross act of disloyalty, while European Council head António Costa characterized them as blackmail.
Orbán has maintained close ties with Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, making hostility toward Ukraine a pivotal campaign issue ahead of the elections on 12 April. Hungary relies heavily on Russian energy, and Orbán claims that Ukraine disrupted oil supplies by failing to repair the Druzhba pipeline, damaged during Russian airstrikes in January.
Although Kyiv contends that repairing the pipeline would take weeks and could lift sanctions on Moscow, Orbán continues to block EU assistance, including funds previously agreed upon.
The recent EU leaders' summit ended with many expressing thinly-veiled fury at Orbán’s obstruction. Statements from other leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron called the situation unprecedented and stressed the need for immediate action regarding the loan.
As tensions rise, Orbán, also facing political pressure domestically with his party trailing rivals in opinion polls, has repeatedly stalled EU aid for Ukraine and further sanctions against Russia.
In defiance, he emphasized on X, We have the right to say 'no' to the Ukrainian war loan. As long as @ZelenskyyUa does not lift the oil blockade, they will not receive any money from Brussels. This standoff reflects a critical juncture in EU’s commitment to support Ukraine amid ongoing hostilities.
