Ukraine will receive money from EU countries to finance its military efforts, even if Hungary and Slovakia continue to block the promised 90 billion euro loan, Politico reports, citing two EU diplomats, writes UNN.
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EU leaders will meet at a summit in Brussels next week, hoping to persuade Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico to honor their promise to approve the loan, which is expected to provide two-thirds of the funds Ukraine needs to continue fighting the Russian invasion until the end of 2027.
But if both sides refuse to back down, the Baltic and Northern European countries have a plan to provide Ukraine with enough money to stay afloat during the first half of this year,
"The total amount under consideration is 30 billion euros," another source familiar with the negotiations said. Since these will be bilateral loans, they will not require EU approval.
Separately, Dutch Finance Minister Eelco Heijnen told his counterparts on Tuesday that his government had earmarked 3.5 billion euros per year for Ukraine as bilateral support until 2029, two other diplomats told the publication.
Budapest or any other EU capital can block the 90 billion euro loan, despite the agreement being reached in December, because one of the documents requiring approval before the funds are disbursed requires the approval of all member states.
"This is not the first time we have faced such difficulties with Hungary," EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Tuesday. "We will deliver this loan one way or another."
The idea of providing Ukraine with individual financing, as the publication writes, was discussed even before the December summit, where the leaders of all EU member states agreed on providing a single loan. The option with individual loans was then considered unacceptable, as it undermined EU solidarity with Ukraine and revealed deep divisions within the bloc, the publication notes.
"But if Orbán refuses to back down from his opposition, then this may be the only way out," the publication says.
"Kyiv's funding needs have decreased after the International Monetary Fund approved an $8.1 billion loan late last month, disbursing $1.5 billion immediately. According to four people familiar with Kyiv's financial situation, the country should have enough money to remain solvent until early May," the publication notes.
The loan seemed guaranteed until the end of January, when a Russian drone attack damaged the Druzhba oil pipeline, which transports Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia. Budapest and Bratislava are exempt from EU sanctions on Russian oil.
Orbán accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying the pipeline's repair for political reasons and reneged on a promise made at the December summit to approve a loan to Ukraine. The Hungarian leader also blocked the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia, which requires the unanimous support of all 27 leaders for adoption.
Orbán, who faces important national elections on April 12, is campaigning on an anti-Ukrainian platform, the publication writes. His political party "Fidesz" is significantly behind the opposition party "Tisza" in opinion polls.
Hungary's opposition Tisza party leads Orbán by 20 percent - poll25.02.26, 12:40 • [views_5387]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who denies accusations that Kyiv is refusing to repair the pipeline for political reasons, told reporters last week that although he does not want to, he could restore oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline "in a month or a month and a half" - that is, immediately after the elections in Hungary, the publication writes.
Last month, Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine is not repairing the pipeline because Russia has repeatedly shelled it, including during repair work at the facility, the publication notes.
According to three diplomats, "both Kyiv and Brussels believe that if Orbán loses the elections, opposition leader Péter Magyar may be more inclined to approve a loan to Ukraine, especially if the Druzhba pipeline is repaired or if Hungary receives some other 'carrot' from the EU."
Although Magyar made critical statements about Ukraine during the election campaign and, like Orbán, ruled out supplying troops or weapons, he also recognized Russia as an aggressor in the war. Diplomats said they "hope he is motivated by a desire to unblock frozen EU funds for Hungary."
As the publication notes, another potential incentive: Hungary has applied for a loan of 16 billion euros under the EU SAFE program, which provides cheap funds to countries that buy weapons in bulk. The European Commission has not yet approved this application.
"If Orbán, despite the polls, wins the elections, the EU hopes that he will step aside, as he will no longer need to stir up anti-Ukrainian sentiment to win voters' support," three diplomats said.
"Brussels views Slovak politician Fico, who has teamed up with Orbán to block the loan, as a lesser obstacle," two other EU officials said. On Sunday, Fico promised to block the loan if the Druzhba pipeline is not repaired, even if Orbán loses the elections.
Von der Leyen discussed energy and EU funds for Slovakia with Fico10.03.26, 14:06 • [views_12270]
On Tuesday, Fico met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Paris on the sidelines of a nuclear energy summit "and seemed to back down from his belligerent stance," the publication writes. In a video on social media, he stated that they "discussed the need to restore the transit of Russian oil through Ukraine to Slovakia," adding: "I am glad that on this issue we share the same point of view with the European Commission."
An EU official said that when it comes to convincing Fico to compromise, "we are achieving our goal."