Due to Orbán’s veto on aid to Ukraine: EU freezes €16 billion loan package for Hungary
26 March 10:12
The European Commission has postponed approval of a loan package for Hungary under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defense program due to a veto imposed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on aid to Ukraine.
This was reported by the Polish radio station RMF24, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Officially, the European Commission states that it continues to review Hungary’s application for a €16 billion loan and will approve the plan once it is ready. However, as sources in diplomatic circles in Brussels told RMF24, the EC does not want to grant this loan because Orbán “violates the principle of loyal cooperation” and is blocking funding for Ukraine.
According to RMF24, the European Commission planned to freeze Budapest’s application under the SAFE program (aimed at rapidly strengthening the defense capabilities of EU countries) as early as February 2026, ahead of the parliamentary elections in April: Brussels hopes that Hungary may see a change in government.
At the EU summit on March 19, Viktor Orbán confirmed his veto on granting Ukraine a €90 billion loan as military aid. EU leaders had agreed to such a loan as early as December 2025, but Hungary later blocked the procedural decisions. Budapest states that it will continue to block the provision of aid until Kyiv resumes the transit of Russian oil through Ukrainian territory, which ceased after Russia struck the Druzhba pipeline in late January 2026.
