Is EU Aid to Ukraine at Risk?

EU leaders agreed in December that 24 member states would take out a €90bn loan for urgently needed military aid and government support for Ukraine. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic approved the idea with the crucial caveat that they did not have to contribute to the loan. It was a hard-fought plan B after an alternative option of tapping Russia’s frozen assets for the funding failed to win the required unanimity.  

EU leaders have failed to convince Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, to drop his opposition to a vital €90bn (£78bn) loan for Ukraine. They have accused him of betrayal and acting in bad faith but have not persuaded him to budge.  

In an unusual sign of public anger on Thursday, several leaders made plain their irritation with Orbán, who refused to sign off on the loan agreed last year because of a dispute with Kyiv over a damaged oil pipeline.  

Orbán’s reneging on his agreement has infuriated EU leaders because it undermines EU decision-making at a moment when Ukraine is running out of money. EU officials want the first tranches of cash to be available to Kyiv from early April.  

Petteri Orpo, Finland’s prime minister, said Orbán was using Ukraine “as a weapon” in his election campaign, adding: “I think that he betrayed us and we need to find a solution how to go forward.”  

Bart De Wever, the prime minister of Belgium, who blocked the option to freeze Russia’s assets, played a central role in orchestrating the loan deal, including negotiating with Orbán. He said: “It’s unacceptable to decide with the leaders and then after say: ‘But I’m not ready to execute what I decided.’”  

Arriving at the summit, Orbán showed no sign of compromise. He said: “We would like to get the oil which is ours from the Ukrainians and which is … blocked by the Ukrainians. I will never support any kind of decision here which is in favour of Ukraine [as long as] the Hungarians are not able to get the oil which belongs to us.”  

The dispute centres on the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which brings Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via Ukraine. Ukraine said the pipeline had been damaged in a Russian air attack, but Orbán has accused Kyiv of stalling on repairs.  

This week Zelenskyy agreed to accept EU financial and technical support to repair the pipeline. But the decision does not appear to have swayed Orbán, who is running an anti-Ukraine, anti-EU election campaign.  

Arriving at his first EU summit as prime minister of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten said: “It is obvious that Ukraine needs our full support to win this war against Russian aggression. There has been decision-making here on the European level so I expect everyone to respect that.”  

90 billion-euro aid package from the European Union is critical for Kyiv as it faces ⁠a "very difficult" situation while fighting Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.  

Also Zelenskyy, who addressed the leaders via video link, said before the summit he hoped the EU would stand by its promise. “We are really counting on the countries and the EU to find ways to resolve this issue,” he said on Wednesday.  

The Ukrainian president told EU leaders this week that Ukraine was “undertaking all possible efforts to repair the damage and restore operations” to the pipeline damaged by Russia, ⁠and that he has received signals from the U.S. ⁠that peace talks with Russia may ⁠resume soon.  

References:  

Reuters. (2026, March 19). Ukraine counting on EU to unblock 90 billion euro package, Zelenskiy says.https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-counting-eu-unblock-90-billion-euro-package-zelenskiyhttps://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-counting-eu-unblock-90-billion-euro-package-zelenskiy-says-2026-03-19/says-2026-03-19/  

The Guardian. (2026, March 19). Hungary’s Orbán refuses to agree to €90bn loan for Ukraine as EU leaders accuse him of betrayal.  

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/19/hungary-orban-ukraine-loan-veto-eu-summiteurope