After months of impasse on a €90 billion (£78 billion) loan seen as essential European Union backing for Kyiv, Ukraine claims it has begun flowing Russian oil through a pipeline into Hungary and Slovakia.
The loan and a 20th round of penalties on Russia were preliminaryly approved by EU ambassadors gathering in Cyprus shortly after, according to officials. At an unofficial summit on Thursday, EU leaders will sign it off.
Even though the funding was agreed upon in December of last year, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán vetoed the payment in February after Ukraine claimed that supplies had stopped due to damage from a Russian attack.
Hours after the EU ambassadors began discussing the loan, the Ukrainian government and oil sources informed officials in Slovakia and Hungary that pumping had resumed. Ukraine verified the repairs were finished on Tuesday. Orbán had insisted that the oil flow resume before the money could be disbursed.
His 16-year tenure as prime minister came to an end with his election loss last Sunday, which also cleared the way for the EU. Páv Magyar, the next leader of Hungary, has made mending Budapest’s strained ties with Brussels a top priority. Prior to the ambassadors’ meeting, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated, “Ukraine really needs this loan and it’s also a sign that Russia cannot outlast Ukraine.
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