EU has tools to bypass Hungary's Ukraine loan veto but must show courage, Kallas says

European Union Energy and Foreign Affairs ministers meeting in Brussels

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas speaks during a closing press conference at a European Union Energy and Foreign Affairs ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, March 16, 2026. REUTERS/Omar Havana

Source: REUTERS

There are alternatives to overcome Hungary's veto on a 90 billion euro ($103 billion) loan to Ukraine but they will need political courage from European leaders, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday.

"There are alternatives, but let's see how this goes. It will also need some political character from all of us," Kallas told reporters ahead of a European Council summit in Brussels.

Hungary is under pressure from fellow EU countries to lift its veto, which Prime Minister Viktor Orban has defended amid a dispute with Kyiv over a war-damaged oil pipeline.

Kallas said that oil supplies from Croatia could be a solution for Hungary, while she added that Hungary was not acting "in good faith" with its resistance to the already agreed loan.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters