EU has a strategy for Orban at the summit over a €90 billion loan to Ukraine - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
At the EU summit, they will try to force Hungary to unblock 90 billion euros for Kyiv. Diplomats call Orban's position a crisis of trust and an act of desperation.
The main strategy today at the EU summit regarding Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on the issue of a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine is political pressure in the room, with a simple argument - commitments must be fulfilled, if this fails - options are limited, Politico reports, writes UNN.
Details
"The biggest political test today: can EU leaders convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is currently in active campaign mode, to lift his veto on the 90 billion euro loan needed to finance Ukraine for the next two years?" the publication states.
This, as the publication notes, "has gone far beyond technical issues, as Orbán blocks a package he approved in December, turning the confrontation into a matter of trust: do the decisions of the European Council really remain in force?"
"Diplomats do not hide their irritation," the publication writes. One senior EU official called Orbán's position "an act of desperation and weakness." Another warned of a growing "crisis of trust" at the negotiating table if agreed deals could simply be revisited. "Hungary's behavior is a new low," said Swedish Minister for European Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa reportedly "tried to ease tensions before the summit by securing Volodymyr Zelenskyy's agreement to an EU investigation into disruptions to the Druzhba oil pipeline, which Budapest claims Kyiv deliberately stopped." "So far, this concession has not changed the situation," the publication notes.
After several days of pre-summit briefings, the main strategy today remains straightforward: political pressure in the room. The argument is simple - commitments must be fulfilled. As one diplomat put it, this is also the line most likely to make Orbán uncomfortable, because "he knows it's justified."
"And if that fails? Options are limited," the publication notes.
Several diplomats do not expect a breakthrough before the Hungarian elections next month - and even that offers no guarantees, as Orbán is likely to remain in office until June if he loses the elections, and the position of any successor would be uncertain
One idea discussed in preparatory talks, it is reported, "was to include a provision on the repair of the Druzhba oil pipeline in the summit conclusions - effectively obliging the EU to pressure Kyiv on this issue." "For now, diplomats say, this option has been put aside," the publication writes.
"Meanwhile, an EU technical team has already arrived in Ukraine and is awaiting security clearance to inspect the pipeline and assess the extent of the damage and the timeline for repairs," the publication states.
"Time is running out... even if the situation in Ukraine is somewhat less urgent than previously thought, as Kyiv's military budget is likely to last until early May. Once agreed, payment could take place in about two weeks," the publication concludes.