Over blocking aid to Ukraine: The U.S. wants to impose sanctions on Hungary
27 March 09:38
Two U.S. senators from two different parties intend to introduce a bill that would impose sanctions on high-ranking Hungarian officials for blocking aid to Ukraine.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing the Financial Times.
The idea to introduce the bill arose after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán blocked a €90 billion loan to Ukraine.
They plan to introduce the bill as early as this week. If passed, the “Blocking Putin” Act would require U.S. President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Hungarian government officials involved in the procurement of Russian oil and gas and who seek to block aid to Ukraine.
The bill’s authors are Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Tom Tillis—they are co-chairs of the Senate’s NATO Observer Group. Both politicians have spoken out openly about Europe’s continued dependence on Russian energy resources.
Tom Tillis emphasized that the U.S. and its allies must remain united in supporting Ukraine to cut off the revenue that fuels the war waged by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
“This bill holds high-ranking Hungarian officials accountable while providing Hungary with a clear path to restoring relations with its allies by ending its dependence on Russian energy and ceasing to obstruct support for Ukraine,” he added.
For her part, Zhanna Shakhin criticized U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who, according to media reports, plans to visit Hungary a few days before the parliamentary elections.
“It is unbelievable that Vice President Vance reportedly plans to visit Hungary to support a corrupt government that continues to fund the Russian war machine,” she said.
Shahin added that if the U.S. wants to end the war in Ukraine, the Trump administration must apply the same standards to all its allies. She emphasized that no one, and especially Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, “should go unpunished.”
The FT also noted that the draft bill does not directly name Orbán as a target of sanctions.
An aide to the congressman explained that it is up to the Trump administration to determine which Hungarian officials were involved in delaying aid to Ukraine and maintaining Hungary’s dependence on Russian energy resources.
EU Loan for Ukraine
As a reminder, at the end of 2025, the EU approved a $90 billion loan for Ukraine over two years. It served as an alternative to the decision to seize Russia’s frozen assets. However, Hungary vetoed the loan.
Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that unlocking the EU loan is critically important for Ukraine and its defense capabilities. Without funding, the military and drone production will suffer.
It should also be noted that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico recently threatened that his country could also block further loans to Ukraine.
