Consultations in Brussels
EU held hostage: Orban blocks aid to Ukraine at summit
Updated March 19, 2026 – 9:32 p.mReading time: 4 minutes
At the EU summit, Hungary’s veto against aid to Ukraine caused outrage. Orban ties his approval to oil deliveries.
Despite massive headwinds, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced at the EU summit that he would stick to his veto against billions in European financial aid for Ukraine. The right-wing populist, who is fighting for re-election in his homeland, said that his country would only support pro-Ukrainian projects again when it received Russian oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline again. He claimed that without Russian oil, Hungarian households and companies would go bankrupt.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and other heads of state and government criticized Orban’s attitude as unacceptable and pointed out that he had already approved the plan for Ukraine aid worth up to 90 billion euros at the December summit. Merz said: “The principle of work in the European Union is the principle of loyalty and reliability.” All member states must adhere to this. According to an EU official, Council President António Costa also made similar comments behind closed doors.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo accused Orban of using Ukraine as a weapon in his campaign for the April 12 parliamentary election. “We had an agreement and I think he betrayed us,” he said. You now have to find a solution on how to continue.
At first, no one wanted to talk publicly about concrete options. It is conceivable that Germany and other EU states will look for other ways to provide the necessary security for the planned loan for Ukraine in the event of a prolonged blockade. The EU budget is currently to be used, which is why Hungary has the right to veto. The money is intended to cover Ukraine’s most urgent financial needs until the end of 2027 and enable the country to continue its defensive fight against Russia.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said he believed there was a “Plan B”. But it’s not wise to talk about it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj temporarily joined the summit via video link. He has not yet made a clear statement on the question of when Ukraine will need fresh EU money at the latest.
The dispute over interrupted oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline is about Hungary accusing Ukraine of preventing the line from resuming operations. This leads from Russia via Belarus and Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukraine rejects the allegations and emphasizes that the pipeline is currently unusable due to the effects of Russian air strikes. On Tuesday, she estimated another month and a half for necessary repairs.
