HUNGARY TO BLOCK LOAN FOR UKRAINE – Hungary will also block new sanctions on Russia until Druzhba restarts, minister says
Hungary will continue blocking a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia as long as oil flows via the Druzhba pipeline remain suspended, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday (March 16) in Brussels.
Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia have been suspended since late January after damage that Kyiv says takes time to fix.
The issue has become the focus of a diplomatic clash between Budapest and Kyiv, with hostile rhetoric towards Ukraine taking centre stage in veteran nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s campaign ahead of an election on April 12.
Last month, Hungary vetoed new European Union sanctions on Russia and also a huge loan for Ukraine over the dispute.
