“Without oil, no money.” Before even arriving at the European Council on Thursday, March 19 in Brussels, Viktor Orban had set the tone. He conditioned the payment of a loan of 90 billion euros to Ukraine on the resumption of Russian oil deliveries by the Droujba pipeline. This pipeline runs through Ukrainian territory but has been weakened by strikes, and Budapest accuses Kiev of dragging its feet to put it back into service. The Hungarian leader, who also accuses Ukraine of political intimidation on the eve of the Hungarian elections on April 12, is maintaining his veto for now, much to the disappointment of Europeans.
The leaders of the EU member states “tried to convince the Hungarian Prime Minister” to lift his veto “but without success,” as Orban “did not yield to pressure” despite the “strong tension in the room” at the European Council, according to Magyar Nemzet. Orban “felt trapped,” but “did not give in to blackmail and found support from Meloni and Fico, the heads of the Italian and Slovak governments,” continues the conservative newspaper.
“The Brussels plan has gone off track” grumble Origo, as “Europeans rallied against Orban,” but “they failed, and Brussels’ plan went off course.” The Hungarian veto “has triggered a strong outcry.”
