By SCM Staff Writer
MADCAP Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has thrown a massive spanner in the works of a £75billion (€90bn) lifeline for war-torn Ukraine.
In a move that has left Brussels bigwigs fuming, the hardline PM is threatening to veto the entire loan package unless Kyiv restarts the flow of Russian oil to his country.
The European Parliament gave the green light to the bumper cash injection earlier this month to keep Ukraine’s schools, hospitals, and army running.
But under EU rules, the deal needs a “yes” from every single member state to cross the finish line.
Now, Orban is holding the continent to ransom. He’s demanding that Ukraine flips the switch on the Druzhba pipeline—the “Friendship” line that pumps Russian crude straight into Hungary.
Ukraine reportedly choked off the taps after a Russian strike damaged the line in January, but Budapest isn’t buying it. They claim Kyiv is using the oil as a “political weapon” to punish Hungary for its cozy relationship with the Kremlin.
An EU source said:
”It’s a classic Orban ambush. He’s putting his cheap Russian oil ahead of the survival of a neighbor under fire. It’s a total oil slick of a move.”
If the deal stays blocked, Ukraine faces a terrifying “black hole” in its finances by April. The package includes:
£50bn for high-tech weapons and ammo.
£25bn to keep the lights on and the government running.
Brussels insiders are now scrambling for a “Plan B” to bypass Hungary, but for now, the billionaire bailout is stuck in the mud.
The Druzhba pipeline is one of the longest in the world, carrying oil from Russia to Central Europe. While most of the EU has banned Russian oil to starve Putin’s war machine, Hungary and Slovakia secured a “special pass” because they are landlocked and rely on the pipes.
Ukraine claims the recent shutdown is due to Russian missile damage, but Hungary insists the pipes are fixed and Kyiv is simply “blackmailing” them.
