Hungary's election winner sets terms for unblocking EU aid to Ukraine
Photo: Péter Magyar (Getty Images)
Hungary's election winner Péter Magyar has stated that his country will lift its veto on a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine as soon as oil flows resume through the Druzhba pipeline, according to Bloomberg.
Magyar says he expects outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to lift his veto on a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine as soon as oil flows resume through the key pipeline.
Magyar's comments in an interview with state television came after he stated earlier this week that his country would not prevent Kyiv from receiving aid from the EU.
He says that Hungary would still maintain its refusal to participate financially in the loan.
EU loan to Ukraine
The election victory in Hungary of Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, does not automatically mean the release of the €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine.
Magyar stated that he was ready to discuss the issue with European leaders. Still, the decision was adopted by the European Council in December, and at that time, Hungary, Slovakia, and Czechia were granted the right not to join the program.
Even if Budapest withdraws its objections, Bratislava is next in line. Slovakia and its Prime Minister, Robert Fico, have not yet changed their position.
Added to this is the usual bureaucratic red tape: forming a new Hungarian government will take time in and of itself.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has postponed the first tranche of a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine.
