HUNGARY THREAT TO BLOCK UKRAINE DEAL – Hungary’s Orban pledges to block any pro-Ukraine EU decision over oil pipeline dispute
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vowed to block any pro-Ukraine proposal at an EU summit as he accused Kyiv of blocking oil supplies from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline.
European Union leaders are expected to put heavy pressure on Orban to lift his blockade on a vital 90-billion-euro ($103 billion) EU loan to Ukraine to keep up its fight against Russia’s invasion.
EU leaders agreed to the loan in December, but Orban – who has maintained cordial ties to Russia and repeatedly clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy – blocked its implementation last month, citing a dispute over a war-damaged pipeline.
The Druzhba pipeline carried Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia but was damaged by a Russian attack in January, officials say. Ukraine says it will take some time to repair, but Hungary insists it is ready to operate already.
Orban’s stance has sparked anger among other EU leaders as Kyiv is expected to run short of money within weeks if it does not receive fresh funding, and his U-turn has called into question the credibility of the European Council, the EU’s highest-decision making body.
At the summit in Brussels on Thursday, other leaders of the 27-nation bloc are expected to point to an agreement by Zelenskiy this week to fix the pipeline with EU technical help and funding, and press Orban to drop his opposition to the loan, diplomats say.
