Orbán Vetoes €90 Billion EU Aid Package for Ukraine

Brussels Summit: Orbán Alone Against 26

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán maintained his veto at the EU summit in Brussels on March 19-20 against the €90 billion aid package planned for Ukraine, which the EU intended for the war-torn country's reconstruction and strengthening of its defense capabilities for 2026-2027. By blocking the decision, Hungary – with the support of Slovakia – prevented the finalization of the package, which had already been approved in principle in December.

The Druzhba Pipeline as a Pretext

Orbán tied the veto to the shutdown of the Druzhba (Friendship) oil pipeline. The pipeline was damaged in January by a Russian drone attack, and Ukraine claims that repairs could take up to a month and a half. However, the Hungarian Prime Minister believes that Kyiv is deliberately hindering oil supplies. "We are ready to support Ukraine if we get our oil, which they are blocking," Orbán stated in Brussels.

The EU sent a team of experts to Ukraine to assess the damage, but Hungary and Slovakia refused to allow their experts to participate in the investigation, which raised serious questions of credibility among EU partners.

Harsh Criticism from European Leaders

The Hungarian position was met with unusually sharp criticism at the EU summit. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called Orbán's move "a serious breach of loyalty." António Costa, President of the European Council, stated: "No one can blackmail the EU institutions." Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo even called the veto a betrayal, while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the blockade was clearly politically motivated.

In response, the European Commission froze Hungary's arms procurement loan application under the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) program. While France and the Czech Republic received approval, Budapest's plan was the only one of the 19 applicants to remain pending. According to an EU diplomat speaking anonymously, "it is difficult to approve billions for Orbán while he violates the principle of loyal cooperation."

Parliament Rejects Ukraine's EU Membership

Further exacerbating the international conflict, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a resolution on March 10 with 142 votes in favor, 28 against, and 4 abstentions, rejecting Ukraine's EU accession, further financial and military support, and efforts to transform the EU into a military alliance. The resolution refers to the fact that the EU has spent €193.3 billion on supporting Ukraine since 2022 – which, according to the document, is almost three times the net EU support Hungary has received since its accession in 2004.

Electoral Calculations in the Background

Several European leaders openly accused Orbán of using the veto with the April 12 parliamentary elections in mind. Opinion polls show an extremely tight race between Fidesz–KDNP and Péter Magyar's Tisza Party. According to the latest survey by Medián, the Tisza Party could even achieve a two-thirds majority, while the government-affiliated Nézőpont Institute continues to measure a 6 percentage point lead for Fidesz.

In his campaign, Orbán portrays Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as a threat to Hungary, which has caused outrage among his allies. According to an analysis by Bloomberg, the veto clearly serves domestic political purposes, while diplomatic isolation could weaken Hungary's EU positions in the long run.