EU countries on Wednesday gave a preliminary green light to unblocking a 90 billion loan forUkraine, withHungarygiven 24 hours to sign off definitively as it waits for Russian oil to arrive via the Druzhba pipeline, diplomats said.
The bitter feud over the pipeline pittedHungary's nationalist premierViktor Orbanagainst Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky, stalling the vitally needed funds forKyiv.
Resolving the standoff would allowBrusselsto start paying out the loan in the coming months that Ukraine requires to plug its budget four years intoMoscow's invasion.
Kremlin-friendly Orban who suffered a crushing election defeat this month insisted that he would not budge until Ukraine repaired the pipeline hit by a Russian strike.
Officials said Wednesday that Ukraine had restarted pumping oil to Hungary andSlovakia, a day after Zelensky announced the repairs were completed.
Read moreOrban ousted: What Magyars victory means for Hungary and the EU
Hungarianenergygiant MOL said it "expects the first crude oil shipments following the restart of the Ukrainian section of the pipeline system to arrive in Hungary and Slovakia by tomorrow at the latest".
Slovakia's Economy Minister Denisa Sakova also said the first deliveries were expected in the early hours of Thursday, in a post onFacebook.
Hungary and Slovakia -- among the most Kremlin-sympathetic EU member states had accused Kyiv of dragging its feet over the repairs.
Zelensky has made no secret of his staunch opposition to the fact that some EU members still buy Russian oil and gas a key source of revenue for Moscow to fund its invasion launched more than four years ago.
Sanctions approval too?
The row with Hungary has held up EU support for Ukraine at a time when the United States has largely cut Kyiv off and eased sanctions on Russian oil amid theIran war.
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Orban's loss in elections after 16 years in power had fuelled hopes that the funds would be unlocked.
But EU officials had believed they may have to wait until his pro-EU successorPeter Magyartakes office in May to get it approved.
Alongside the loan, EU countries also looked to approve a fresh round of sanctions on Russia that had been stalled by both Hungary and Slovakia over the pipeline row.
The new round of economic punishment for Moscow -- the 20th from the EU since the war started in 2022 includes measures on Russia's energy, banking and trade sectors.
Zelensky on Tuesday urged the EU to begin ratcheting up sanctions on Moscow again at a time when US PresidentDonald Trumphas eased pressure on theKremlin.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has repeatedly clashed with Kyiv and Brussels, said Wednesday that he "would not be surprised if the 90 billion loan were unblocked and then oil supplies were cut off again".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Originally published on France24
