Overview
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán maintains a veto on the EU’s €90 billion loan to Ukraine and links any reversal to the resumption of Russian oil flows via the Druzhba pipeline.
- EU leaders meeting in Brussels failed to sway Orbán, and Council conclusions on Ukraine were endorsed by 25 leaders, with Hungary and Slovakia not signing.
- Politico reported, citing five diplomats, that Giorgia Meloni told leaders she understood Orbán’s position, a characterization her office rejected as baseless.
- Meloni later said her remarks were misinterpreted, called for flexibility from both sides, and argued that restoring Druzhba flows would automatically unblock the loan.
- European Council President António Costa condemned Orbán’s move as unacceptable and said tying the loan to factors outside the EU’s or Ukraine’s control is inappropriate.