EU Parliament approves €90 billion in loans for Ukraine, but Hungary blocks them citing oil pipeline issues.
European Parliament Approves Ukraine Aid
The European Parliament on February 11 approved a package of loans to support Ukraine worth 90 billion euros. However, it still needs to be approved by the EU Council, representing member states. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on Friday that his country will block these funds “until the resumption of oil transit to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline”.
According to the politician, the suspension of transit is a form of “blackmail” by Kyiv, whose goal is to cause disruptions in supplies to Hungary and raise fuel prices before elections. “By blocking oil transit to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline, Ukraine is violating the EU-Ukraine association agreement, breaking its obligations to the European Union. We will not succumb to this blackmail” – wrote Szijjarto.
Russia Damaged Druzhba Pipeline
Ukrtransnafta reported that the Druzhba pipeline was damaged on January 27 of this year as a result of a Russian attack. “Currently, work is underway at various stages of assessing damage, stabilizing the technical condition of the system, and eliminating the consequences of the enemy attack. Repair work is underway with the participation of specialized technical units and equipment” – Ukrtransnafta wrote in a statement sent to Interfax-Ukraine.
Orban Responds to Tusk
Donald Tusk commented on the situation on Saturday. “Prime Minister Orban has just blocked European aid for Ukraine, Kaczyński is trying to block SAFE, which is money for defense and the Polish arms industry. Guess who is happy” – the prime minister wrote on X. Orban decided to respond. “Dear Donald, I am responsible for the Hungarian nation and Hungary. If someone harms them, it is my duty to defend them. That is how it will be now. As long as President Volodymyr Zelensky does not resume oil supplies, he should not expect any support from our side” – wrote the Hungarian prime minister.
More Information Available
More information on this topic can be found in the article: “Hungary threatens to cut off Ukraine’s energy and gas supplies. ‘Political blackmail'”.
