On April 19, outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he was ready to lift the veto on the European Union (EU)'s 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine before leaving office, provided that Ukraine restores oil flows to Hungary.
Accordingly, Mr. Orban said he would approve this loan if Ukraine repaired the Druzhba oil pipeline.
This move could provide immediate support for the Ukrainian economy.
As soon as oil supplies are restored, we will no longer hinder the approval of the loan" - Mr. Orban wrote on the X platform on April 19.
Through Brussels, we have received signals from Ukraine that they are ready to resume oil transportation through the Druzhba pipeline as soon as possible on April 20," Orban wrote.
He emphasized Hungary's stance has not changed: "No oil is better than no money".
The passage of a financial support package for Kiev could become one of his final decisions as Prime Minister of Hungary.
Mr. Orban is expected to leave office in mid-May after losing the election last weekend to opposition leader Peter Magyar.
The Druzhba oil pipeline transports Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia. For a long time, this oil pipeline has been a hot spot in the diplomatic deadlock between the EU and Hungary.
In February, Mr. Orban vetoed the EU's 90 billion euro loan after Ukraine appeared to refuse to repair infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks.
However, in a surprise move, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to repair the Druzhba infrastructure before the end of April, right after Mr. Magyar won the Hungarian election.
In Kiev, there are many expectations that the new leader of Hungary will improve relations with Ukraine after many years of tension under Mr. Orban.
