Hungary’s Orban continues to block Ukraine loan at EU summit
Al Jazeera
Viktor Orban obstructs the implementation of a key Ukraine loan as Russia’s war continues for a fifth year.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has resisted requests by other European leaders to lift his blockade on a vital 90-billion-euro ($103bn) EU loan to Ukraine, leaving the much-needed funding in limbo.
At summit talks in Brussels on Thursday, European officials said efforts by other EU leaders to convince Orban, who has cordial ties with Russia and has clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had failed.
“Discussion was tough and rough, but Viktor is still not budging,” one European official told Reuters.
Another official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential discussions between leaders, said that “everyone is increasingly angry with Orban.”
With Russia’s war in Ukraine in its fifth year, Kyiv is grappling with a ballooning budget deficit and has said there are no alternative financing options if the loan remains blocked.
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