BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥� European Union leaders on Thursday lashed out at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb谩n, accusing him of hijacking critical aid for Ukraine and undermining EU decision-making in an effort to win an election at home.
In a rare public tirade against a member of their ranks, leaders insisted that Orb谩n must respect the 27-nation bloc鈥檚 to fund Ukraine鈥檚 armed forces and war-ravaged economy for the next two years. Orb谩n had previously approved what is seen as a critical lifeline for war-ravaged Ukraine but later vetoed it.
鈥淗e鈥檚 using Ukraine as a weapon in his election campaigning, and it鈥檚 not good. We had a deal, and I think that he betrayed us,鈥� Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters.
Ukraine’s . EU officials believe it must get at least a sizable part of the 90-billion-euro ($103-billion) loan by the start of May. For that to happen, work must move forward on the EU agreement within two to three weeks.
Orb谩n 鈥� who is seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 in Europe and is a strident nationalist U.S. President Donald Trump 鈥� is trailing in opinion polls ahead of elections on April 12. Part of his has been to portray Ukrainian 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鈥檚 war, now in its fifth year. He has claimed that his reelection is the only guarantee of peace and security.
Taking Hungary’s leader to task
Fellow EU leaders are now taking Orb谩n to task. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insisted that all 27 EU member countries must respect the decision they made together in December. 鈥淭he guiding principle of the European Union is one of loyalty and reliability,鈥� he said.
On the eve of the summit Merz accused Orban of 鈥渟etting up this blockade in Europe now for domestic political reasons and because of an election campaign that is being conducted there.鈥�
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said “it鈥檚 unacceptable to decide with the leaders and then after say 鈥榖ut I鈥檓 not ready to execute what I decided.鈥欌��
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said that if Orban is using the election as a pretext, then 鈥渢his is not a valid argument given the situation in Ukraine, the plight of the people in Ukraine, and what we ourselves have decided.鈥�
The standoff has highlighted important weaknesses in EU decision-making procedures, which often require unanimous agreement among the 27 member countries. Hungary has a population of almost 10 million, a fraction of the bloc鈥檚 450 million people.
Energy feud
Ukraine and Hungary have been locked in an since deliveries of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia were halted in January due to damage to the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian officials blame the damage on Russian drone attacks, but Orb谩n accuses Zelenskyy of deliberately holding up oil supplies. Hungary has not only vetoed the loan package, it鈥檚 also blocking a new round of EU sanctions against Russia.
In an effort to break the deadlock, von der Leyen and European Council President Ant贸nio Costa offered this week to to the pipeline. An EU technical team is in Kyiv awaiting security clearance to inspect the site.
But Orb谩n vowed to continue to block the loan as long as oil shipments to Hungary are halted. In a video posted on X following the leaders鈥� discussion about Ukraine, Orb谩n said that he had stood his ground, despite being 鈥渦nder pressure from all sides.鈥�
鈥淎ttempts by a few European leaders to pressure us or blackmail us cannot succeed,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f there is oil, there will be money. If there is no oil, there is no money.鈥�
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also withdrew support for a summit statement on Ukraine because it did not include the pipeline oil delivery issue, as he requested.
In the end, no mention was made of the pipeline issue, and the statement was approved on Thursday by 25 leaders, without Fico and Orb谩n.
The 25 leaders said simply that they look forward 鈥渢o the first disbursement to Ukraine by the beginning of April,鈥� without mentioning the dispute with Hungary.
Dependence on Russian energy
The EU mostly weaned itself off Russian oil and natural gas after 2022 as Putin used the bloc鈥檚 dependence on it as leverage to undermine European support for Ukraine. However, Hungary and Slovakia were given exemptions to keep using Russian oil.
Their leaders say they are landlocked and have no easy access to other suppliers, although they are currently receiving oil via an alternative route through Croatia. However, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovi膰 noted that Hungary and Slovakia pay about 30% less for Russian oil.
Zelenskyy, who addressed the leaders via video link, is vehemently opposed to allowing Russian energy to transit through Ukraine. Energy revenue has fueled Putin’s war, and Russian forces have relentlessly targeted Ukraine鈥檚 energy infrastructure throughout the conflict.
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Geir Moulson and Pietro De Cristofaro in Berlin, and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report.
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