EU’s €90B plan to fund Ukraine in jeopardy as Hungary blocks deal – POLITICO

Hungary’s threat to veto the loan is a major setback for Ukraine, whose coffers will begin running low on cash from April. Kyiv will struggle to sustain its war effort without fresh funds, leaving it at a disadvantage in ongoing peace talks with Russia.

The first signs of trouble began earlier in the day on Friday. Hungary’s ambassador to the EU demanded that its national assembly get the standard eight weeks to scrutinize EU legislation during a meeting of envoys in Brussels, three EU diplomats told POLITICO.

EU ambassadors were set to give their final approval for the loan ahead of Tuesday, which marks the four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a fresh confrontation with Ukraine, Orbán is accusing the war-torn country of halting Russian gas to Hungary for political reasons. Kyiv rejects these claims, arguing that Russian strikes have damaged the energy infrastructure.

In a rebuke of Hungary’s accusations, Ukraine’s embassy to the EU suggested in a letter to the European Commission to continue supplying oil to Slovakia and Hungary “either through Ukraine’s oil transportation system or via a maritime route.”

“Ukraine consistently reiterates its continuous readiness to ensure transportation of the oil within available legal framework,” the embassy wrote in the letter sent on Thursday and seen by POLITICO.