Orbán continues to blackmail Ukraine: he has set a condition for the release of 90 billion euros
20 April 04:10
Ukraine is ready to resume oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline as early as Monday, April 20, if Hungary unblocks €90 billion in EU financial aid.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing a statement by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Conditions for resuming transit
According to the Hungarian prime minister, Budapest received a corresponding signal from the Ukrainian side via Brussels.
Hungary is ready to make concessions on the issue of financial aid to Ukraine only on the condition that energy supplies are stabilized.
“Hungary’s position has not changed: no oil = no money. As soon as oil supplies are restored, we will no longer stand in the way of the loan’s approval,” Orbán emphasized.
He also added that the disbursement of this loan does not impose any additional financial burden or obligations on Hungary.
Context surrounding the loan
It should be noted that the issue of allocating €90 billion to Ukraine has been accompanied by prolonged discussions within the EU. In particular, Slovakia stated that it would block the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia, citing the protection of its own economic interests, specifically the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Earlier, the European Commission had already postponed the disbursement of the first tranche from this loan package. The decision to postpone the disbursement was made amid uncertainty regarding the positions of certain EU member states.
At the same time, following the parliamentary elections in Hungary, the situation began to change. The country’s new leader, Péter Magyar, whose Tisa party secured a victory, hinted at a willingness to unblock €90 billion for Ukraine, which kicked off new negotiations between Kyiv, Budapest, and Brussels.
