Orbán’s election defeat last Sunday has also cleared the air for the EU, bringing to an end his 16-year era as Hungarian prime minister. Hungary’s next leader, Péter Magyar, has prioritised a reset in Budapest’s poor relations with Brussels.
“We expect some positive decisions… on the €90bn loan,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of the ambassadors’ meeting. “Ukraine really needs this loan and it’s also a sign that Russia cannot outlast Ukraine.”
The EU funding has been described by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka as “a matter of life and death” for Kyiv, and two-thirds of it will be spent on bolstering Ukraine’s defence needs while the rest will go on broader financial assistance.
Hungarian energy firm Mol said it had been told by its Ukrainian partners that Russian oil supplies would start flowing again through the Druzhba pipeline on Wednesday to both Hungary and Slovakia for the first time since 27 January.