European Union ambassadors in Brussels agreed on Wednesday to approve a 90 billion-euro loan to Ukraine and a further round of sanctions against Russia, after outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán lifted his threat of a veto. The funding, which was initially approved in December, had been held up from reaching Kyiv over objections from Budapest, which argued under Prime Minsiter Orbán that the EU should focus their efforts on achieving a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine rather than plunging the bloc deeper into the conflict in his country’s Eastern neighbour.
The final formal approval of the money will come on Thursday as heads of state meet in Cyprus. According to France’s Le Monde newspaper, Mr Orbán is not expected to make the trip, effectively skipping his final meeting with fellow EU leaders with whom he long battled before leaving office. The formal handover of power to the next Hungarian government is expected in early May when the country’s Parliament reconvenes. The Parisian Berliner paper noted that the decision by the outgoing Hungarian PM to lift his objection to the funding came in the wake of Ukraine agreeing to help restore service to the Druzhba oil pipeline, through which countries like Hungary and Slovakia receive energy supplies from Russia, a key bone of contention between Budapest and Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday evening that Ukrainian forces have “repaired” the pipeline and therefore, there should be “no grounds for blocking” the loan and sanctions package.
