EU leaders clash with Hungary’s Orban for blocking Ukraine loan

2026.03.20 02:50 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday. Photo: Reuters European Union leaders failed to convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday to lift his blockade on a €90 billion (US$103 billion) EU loan to help Ukraine keep up its fight against Russia’s invasion. After a summit in Brussels, several leaders voiced deep frustration with Orban, who has cited a dispute over a war-damaged pipeline to justify blocking the implementation of the loan agreed back in December. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Orban - who maintains cordial ties with Russia and is ‌running for re-election next month - of an act of “gross disloyalty” that damaged the EU’s reputation and ability to act. European Council President Antonio Costa, the chair of the summit, declared: “A deal is a deal, and all the leaders need to honour that word. And nobody can blackmail the European Council”. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) looks at satellite images showing part of the Druzhba oil pipeline earlier this month. Photo: Hungarian PM’s General Department of Communication via EPA EU officials say that Kyiv could run short of money in weeks if it does not receive new funding and that Orban’s U-turn has called into question the credibility of the European Council, the EU’s highest decision-making body. Orban, a frequent critic of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has been able to block the loan as one step in the implementation process requires unanimity among the bloc’s 27 member states. At the heart of the hold-up is the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia. It was damaged by a ‌Russian attack in January, according to Ukrainian and EU officials. Ukraine says the pipeline will take a further six weeks to repair. Hungary says the pipeline is already functional and accuses Ukraine of withholding the oil supply. Some leaders voiced hope that Hungary will change its stance after nex

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