TheGermanand Belgian foreign ministers criticised Hungary on Wednesday for blocking a major European Union loan to Ukraine as well as the latest round of EU sanctions against Russia.
“All I can say is that I remain appalled by Hungary’s behaviour,” Germany’s Johann Wadephul said in Berlin, adding that Hungary’s decision to veto the sanctions “betrays its own struggle for freedom”.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, meanwhile, warned that “Hungary must understand” that for other EU countries “the patience is wearing thin very quickly”.
The 27-nation European Union has been pushing to impose a new round of economic punishment on Moscow over the Ukraine war after Tuesday’s fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion.
But Orban has been stalling both the sanctions as well as a 90-billion-euro ($106 billion) EU loan to Ukraine, demanding that Kyiv re-open a key oil pipeline first.
According to Kyiv, the Druzhba pipeline — which carriesRussianoil across Ukraine to Slovakia and Hungary — was damaged by Russian strikes in late January.
EU sanctions require unanimous approval, but Orban’s decision to single-handedly block the package has drawn ire from the rest of the bloc.
Wadephul said that Orban himself had previously agreed to the EU-backed loan to Ukraine.
“Hungary cannot explain this inconsistency,” Wadephul said, adding that the loan deal has “no connection to the damaged pipeline, which of course needs to be repaired”.
Prevot, speaking alongside Wadephul during a visit toBerlin, urged Hungary “to change course”.
Source: Insider Paper
