Costa: EU leaders condemn Orban for blocking EUR 90 bln for Ukraine

European Council President António Costa has said that during the European Council meeting, EU leaders condemned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s blocking of the decision to provide Ukraine with a EUR 90 billion loan.

Costa spoke about the progress of the discussions on providing Ukraine with a loan at a press conference held at midnight between Thursday and Friday following the European Council meeting.

The President of the European Council recalled that the relevant decision on the loan was taken by consensus by the European Council on December 18.

Costa said that they need to implement this, and as President [of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen] said they would do it one way or another. Costa, in turn, stated that the leaders took the floor to clearly condemn Viktor Orbán’s position, so that he would remember that an agreement is an agreement, and all leaders must keep their word.

He stressed that nobody can blackmail the European Council, nobody can blackmail the institutions of the European Union, and that they must do that.

The President of the European Council also noted that the leaders welcomed Ukraine’s efforts and commitment to repair the Druzhba oil pipeline, which was damaged by Russia, and welcomed President Zelenskyy’s public commitment to do so within the next six weeks. Orbán, as is well known, attributes the blockage to Ukraine’s blocking of Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline, declaring, "No oil, no funds."

Costa also recalled that the European Commission offered technical and financial support to Ukraine to ensure repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline.

At the same time, he also pointed out that the further operation of the pipeline depends only on Russia, because only Russia is ready to decide whether to try to destroy the Druzhba pipeline again or not to destroy it again.

Costa added that Russia had attacked the Druzhba pipeline 23 times. For the 23rd time, Ukraine will be repairing it again, which is not Ukraine’s responsibility, nor is it the responsibility of the European Union (for the pipeline’s operation), nor is it the responsibility of the Commission, the European Council, or any Member State. Therefore, according to the European Council President, what Hungary is doing is absolutely unacceptable, and such behavior cannot be accepted by leaders, that is precisely why the leaders spoke out clearly in the Council yesterday, clearly condemning Hungary’s behavior in this matter.