Brussels tells Orbán that it promised not to veto the loan to kyiv and that doing so breaks loyal cooperation

This Monday, the European Commission reminded the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, that it committed to the rest of the partners to allow the loan of 90 billion euros to Ukraine to cover its urgent financing needs, while also warning him that blocking the disbursement would therefore mean a breach of the “loyal cooperation” to which the 27 owe.

The Hungarian Government has announced its veto on the loan “until Ukraine resumes the transport of oil to Hungary and Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline”, but the Community Executive has also reacted to this notice by recalling that “it was Russia that destroyed the pipeline” and that kyiv has committed to repairing it, although the timing depends on Ukraine’s decision.

“We are sure that we can trust the word of all political leaders and the decisions taken at the highest level, in this case at the European Council last December,” concluded the chief spokesperson for the community Executive, Paula Pinho, who did not want to “speculate on next steps” in the event that Budapest carries out its threat to veto the payments.

The spokesperson for Ursula von der Leyen’s Executive stressed that at the December summit the 27 leaders gave the green light to the loan “with the only condition that three member states would not participate”, in reference to the enhanced cooperation adopted so that Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were exempt from loan obligations.

“This condition has been met and, therefore, we hope that all leaders fulfill their commitments. Not respecting them would clearly be a breach of loyal cooperation,” insisted the community spokesperson, who stressed that “all heads of State and Government, including the one who now threatens to block (the aid),” validated the political agreement to establish the loan.

In this context, the spokesperson added, the leaders who also compromised their “credibility” at the time of the agreement must “now demonstrate” that they have it, which is why Brussels expects “all leaders, including Prime Minister Orbán, to fulfill their political commitments.”

Orbán’s new fight with Brussels on behalf of Ukraine occurs precisely when the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, António Costa, are preparing to travel to kyiv to participate in the commemorative events on Tuesday that will mark the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion.

MEMBER STATES ANNOYED WITH HUNGARY

The reaction of the European Commission has been joined by that of some Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-seven, who have expressed their discomfort with Hungary’s announcement to block the package of sanctions against Russia and the loan of 90,000 million euros to cover the urgent financing needs of Ukraine.

Among them, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radoslaw Sikorski, has charged against Budapest, reminding them that his country was invaded by Russia on two occasions, “one of them by the Red Army”, so he would expect “a much greater feeling of solidarity” on their part towards Ukraine.

“However, with the help of state propaganda and private but government-controlled media, the ruling party has managed to create a climate of hostility towards the victim of the aggression and is now trying to exploit it in the general elections. It is quite shocking,” he added.

Germany’s head of diplomacy, Johann Wadephul, has also referred in this sense, and although he has expressed his belief that the package will finally be approved, he has urged Hungary to deal with the matter “with clarity and with a clear European orientation.”

“I am surprised by Hungary’s position. We will talk about it with our Hungarian colleagues. I do not think it is right for Hungary to have its own battle for European sovereignty. That is why we will be with our arguments in Budapest, but also here in Brussels, to convince Hungary to reflect on its position,” he indicated.

The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has agreed with his German counterpart that sooner or later these new sanctions against Moscow will be approved. “The question is not if the twentieth package will be adopted. It will be. It is a certainty. It is the twentieth time we are doing this exercise. The question is when it will be,” he added.

REVIEW UNANIMITY TO MAKE DECISIONS

Cyprus, which holds the rotating Presidency of the EU Council, has called for disagreements to be kept “private and closed doors” before turning it into a public debate, given that there are “many sensitivities and divergent points of view” and we must work with the sole objective of supporting Ukraine.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albares, has avoided commenting extensively on the matter and has referred to a message on social networks from his Hungarian counterpart in which he announced his blockade until Ukraine resumes oil transportation.

“Of course, what I am going to express is that this does not help, it does not help the European Union, it does not help peace in Europe, it does not help Ukrainian civilians. That is the position I am going to have, but yesterday’s tweet was quite clear,” he stated.

The head of Italian diplomacy, Antonio Tajani, has also disagreed with his Hungarian colleague, asserting that “he who does not want to make decisions that push Moscow to see reason” is wrong to end its invasion of Ukraine.

Another of the ministers critical of Hungary has been that of Lithuania, Kestutis Budrys, who has pointed directly to the decision-making mechanism in the EU, calling into question the unanimity requirement for the adoption of measures in matters of Foreign Affairs.

“We cannot hand out carrots every time and expect that, if there is a country that blocks, we have to offer them something. This cannot work like that. The EU was designed differently. We share interests, we see the same common threat and, accordingly, we act. And if we have constant disruption, then I wonder if we should review the decision-making process,” he suggested.