Much-needed funding for Kyiv in limboHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during his state-of-the-nation address in Budapest, Hungary, February 10, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILEEU leaders failed to persuade Hungary's Viktor Orban to lift his block on a massive loan to support Ukraine's war effort at summit talks on Thursday, leaving the much-needed funding in limbo. That has exasperated his fellow EU leaders, and despite concerted pressure from his counterparts, he refused to budge. "I held my ground and we are exactly where we were this morning: if there is oil, there will be money," Orban wrote. The European Commission moved this week to unblock the situation by sending a team to help restore oil transit, but Orban dismissed the scheme as a "fairy tale".

Source: The Express Tribune March 20, 2026 07:11 UTC