Polish PM jokes about Orbán’s absence at EU summit, hints at Russia ties
Photo: Donald Tusk (Getty Images)
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk joked about the absence of his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán at the EU summit, according to PAP.
“Yesterday, there was a huge sense of relief because, for the first time in many years, there were no Russians among us — if you know what I mean,” Tusk said.
With this remark, hinting at Orbán’s ties to Russia, the Polish leader commented on the first day of the informal EU summit, which began on Thursday, April 23, in Cyprus.
Tusk added that after Hungary’s parliamentary elections, the atmosphere at the EU summit was “completely different,” as the country showed that democracy can prevail.
Hungary’s prime minister was absent from the summit. At the same time, Hungary’s new prime minister, Peter Magyar, cannot yet represent the country until he officially takes office early next month.
Druzhba pipeline and Ukraine loan
It is worth noting that after nearly a three-month break, the Druzhba pipeline resumed operations. This was a key condition for Hungary and Slovakia to lift their blockage of the loan.
Following this, on April 22, EU ambassadors agreed to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion concessional loan and approved the 20th package of sanctions against Russia.
On Thursday, April 23, the EU Council unanimously approved amendments to the multiannual budget needed to finance the program and adopted the 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions.
Funds from the €90 billion EU loan program for Ukraine are expected to start arriving as early as May.
