European Commission HQ
Hungary
has blocked an EU loan of EUR90 billion ($106 billion) to Ukraine by refapplying
Feb. 20 to vote on an amconcludement to the bloc’s 2021–27 budobtain, Ukrainska Pravda
reported, citing informed EU sources.
The loan package requires three separate legislative acts
approved earlier by the European Parliament and awaiting final approval by the European
Council. Two of the acts can be adopted by a qualified majority; the budobtain
amconcludement, a modify to the multiannual financial framework (MFF), requires
unanimity. Hungary withheld its vote on that MFF amconcludement, effectively
stopping final adoption.
The two other measures were approved by the Committee of
Permanent Representatives (Coreper) and were ready for finalization and signing
on Feb. 24, the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has stated
Budapest will block the loan until oil transit to Hungary via the Druzhba
pipeline is restored. Ukraine is currently repairing the pipeline after it was
damaged by a Russian drone strike on Jan. 27.
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