Zelensky vs Orban: The clash over €90bn EU funding
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hit out at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for blocking a €90 billion European Union funding package that Kyiv says is critical to keeping the country’s finances and war effort afloat.
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on March 5, Zelensky said Ukraine needs the package so “Ukrainian soldiers will have weapons,” and mocked Orban’s veto. “Otherwise, we will give the address of this person to our armed forces… Let them call him,” Zelensky said.
Hungary has vetoed the package amid a dispute over the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude to parts of Central Europe. Budapest says Ukraine deliberately cut supplies, while Kyiv says oil flows stopped after a Russian attack damaged pipeline infrastructure in late January, and repairs are underway. Zelensky said the Soviet-era pipeline could be operational again “within a month and a half.”
Orban, who faces Hungary’s parliamentary election on April 12, has accused Ukraine of trying to influence the campaign and has urged the European Commission to pressure Kyiv to restart deliveries.
In a letter shared publicly this week, Orban claimed there was “no technical or operational reason” the pipeline could not return to normal immediately.
The standoff comes as Ukraine continues to fight Russian assaults along the front line. An analysis by Finland-based open-source group Black Bird Group found Russia lost more territory than it gained in February for the first time since 2023.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
