Hungary will not support "pro-Ukrainian" initiatives until Russian oil flows to Hungary again. This is what Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán says on his way to the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. He is thus maintaining his clear no to an EU loan of 90 billion euros to Ukraine.
- We want to get our oil, which is blocked by the Ukrainians. We will not support any solution that benefits Ukraine as long as the Hungarians cannot get the oil that belongs to us, says Viktor Orbán.
At the EU summit, Orbán is expected to receive criticism from several EU leaders because he himself agreed to the loan at the EU summit in December last year. This was even done on the condition that Hungary would not be held liable for the loan if Ukraine could not repay it.
The same exception was made at the meeting for Slovakia and the Czech Republic. This means that the other 24 EU countries - including Denmark - must pay back the money if Ukraine cannot. But that has not been enough to convince Orbán, who believes that Ukraine is withholding Russian oil from Hungary.
Ukraine denies this, insisting that it will take about six weeks to repair the Druzhba pipeline after Russian attacks. However, the Ukrainian statements are not enough to convince Orbán:
- The oil must arrive in Hungary. Everything else is fairy tales (ed.). Ukraine must understand that it is existential for Hungary. It is not politics. It is Hungarian households that will go bankrupt if the oil does not arrive. Zelenskyj must understand that it is not a game, says Orbán.
EU has sent experts to Ukraine
In an attempt to resolve the conflict, the EU has sent technical experts to Ukraine to examine the pipeline and help with the repairs. But there is no word yet on when the oil will be able to flow through the pipeline again.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj will have the opportunity to update the EU heads of state and government on the situation when he participates in the summit via video link on Thursday morning.
Although several EU heads of state and government are expected to urge Orbán to give in on Thursday, there are not many hopes for a solution. Orbán is in the middle of an election campaign that ends on April 12. So he could be left weakened by the voters if he does not stand firm or get the required oil.
Ukraine may therefore have to make do with smaller payments from, among others, the IMF and Japan until the EU loan can be paid out at some point.
/ritzau/
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