Orbán names condition for releasing €90 billion for Ukraine
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine is ready to resume oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline as early as next Monday, April 20, if Hungary unblocks €90 billion in EU credit assistance, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Transit restart conditions
Hungary's premier says Budapest received the relevant signal from the Ukrainian side via Brussels.
The country is ready to make concessions on financial assistance to Ukraine only if energy supplies are stabilized.
"Our position has not changed: no oil = no money. Once oil supplies are restored, we will no longer block approval of the loan," Orbán said.
He also added that the repayment of this loan does not impose any additional financial burden or obligations on Hungary.
Loan talks context
The allocation of €90 billion for Ukraine has been accompanied by prolonged discussions within the EU. In particular, Slovakia stated that it would block the EU's 20th sanctions package against Russia, citing the protection of its own economic interests, including the operation of the Druzhba pipeline.
The European Commission had previously postponed the disbursement of the first tranche of this credit package. The decision to postpone was made amid uncertainty over the position of certain EU member states.
At the same time, after parliamentary elections in Hungary, the situation began to change. The country's new leader Péter Magyar, whose Tisza party won the vote, hinted at readiness to unblock the €90 billion for Ukraine, opening the door to new Kyiv-Budapest-Brussels negotiations.
