Ukraine measures despite European leaders' rebuke

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, 19 March, 2026
- 
Copyright 
AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert
Copyright AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert
Published on 20/03/2026 - 17:09 GMT+1•Updated
17:58
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:
Speaking to media in Brussels a day after he blocked the €90 billion loan to Ukraine, Orbán said he and his government have “a lot of cards in our hands.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán raised the prospect of further actions his government could take against Ukraine to force the resumption of Russian oil deliveries that have been stalled to Hungary and Slovakia since January.

Speaking to media in Brussels a day after he again blocked a €90 billion loan to Kyiv, Orbán said he and his government have "a lot of cards in our hands" beyond holding up the financial aid Ukraine needs to equip its armed forces and keep its economy running.

"We have other tools as well," he said
"40% of Ukraine's electricity supply goes through Hungary, we haven't touched that yet
(The EU) constantly wants to introduce new sanctions (against Russia)
That will require unanimity and we will not give it."
Oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline were interrupted after what Ukraine said was a Russian drone strike damaged the pipeline's infrastructure
Hungary and Slovakia are the only EU countries to continue importing Russian oil.

A general view of a pumping station at the end of the Druzhba oil pipeline in the east German refinery PCK in Schwedt, 19 January, 2007
AP Photo
Orbán insists that Ukraine has purposely sabotaged the pipeline to orchestrate an energy crisis ahead of a tight election on 12 April and has promised to block all EU measures to assist Kyiv until shipments resume.

In an effort to persuade Orbán to lift his block on the loan, EU officials on Tuesday said the bloc had offered Ukraine technical support and funding to repair the pipeline, an offer Kyiv accepted.

Orbán also threatened on Friday to veto the EU's next seven-year budget if it includes financial aid for Ukraine, adding: "We have a lot of cards in our hands, so I don’t think it’s worth picking a fight with Hungary."
Ukraine may restart peace process as Iran war escalates and EU aid remains blockedFrench hotel group Accor launches probe into allegations of child trafficking in Ukraine
European Council President António Costa speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, 19 March, 2026
AP Photo
"Nobody can blackmail the European Council
Nobody can blackmail the European Union institutions," he told reporters, insisting that the loan will be paid out as agreed last December.

Zelenskyy says Orbán's allegation against Ukraine about its responsibility for damaging the Druzhba pipeline is unfounded but has also lashed out in public at Orbán in multiple occasions.

Costa, according to a diplomat, said both must tone down the rhetoric, but also noted that Hungary is putting on the table impossible conditions, such as ensuring the safety of transit, while Russia keeps pounding Ukraine with missiles and drones.

"This is not acting in good faith, when you put a condition that neither the European Union nor the member states can ensure," Costa said.

European Union heads of state and government pose for a group photo at the EU summit in Brussels, 19 March, 2026
AP Photo
As Orbán faces what is expected to be the tightest election of his career on 12 April, he has increasingly relied on a broad anti-Ukraine campaign portraying the country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as an existential threat to Hungary.

He has alleged that the Ukrainian leader, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, wants to drag Hungary into Russia's war, now in its fifth year, and has argued that his re-election is the only guarantee of peace and security.

'Nobody can blackmail us': Leaders excoriate Orbán's veto as he tests EU limits
Ukraine accepts EU inspection to Druzhba hoping to lift Hungarian veto on €90bn loan
As veto drags on, Brussels wonders: Will Orbán relent before the elections?