Brussels, Apr 22 (EFE).- European Union countries approved a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine and a new package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday after Hungary lifted its veto, removing a key obstacle that had delayed the bloc’s latest measures.
The decisions were adopted by ambassadors from the 27 EU member states and still require confirmation through a written procedure expected to be completed on Thursday, European sources said.
Budapest lifted its veto after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a day earlier that repairs had been completed on the Druzhba pipeline section supplying Hungary, located in Ukrainian territory and damaged in a Russian attack in late January.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had linked both vetoes to this issue.
Orbán, who lost the Apr. 12 elections to opposition leader Peter Magyar and is set to leave office after 16 years in power, had committed in December to approving the aid package after securing guarantees that Hungary would not be required to participate in it.
However, ahead of the election, during which opposition to Ukraine aid became a central campaign theme, the ultra-conservative leader reversed course and announced he would block the loan until Kyiv repaired the pipeline, a move that irritated EU partners and institutions.
Magyar announced after his election victory that he would lift the veto on aid, although Hungary ultimately withdrew its opposition before a new government was formed.
European ambassadors specifically approved an amendment to the Multiannual Financial Framework, allowing the European Commission to issue debt on financial markets to finance the loan, the final step needed to activate the aid.
Pending formal confirmation, the European Commission has already been working on details to enable the first disbursement to Kyiv during the second quarter of the year.
Sanctions against Russia
Alongside Slovakia, Hungary had also blocked the 20th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The February proposal included banning maritime services for Russian oil tankers, sanctioning additional energy-sector companies and Russian banks, and introducing measures to prevent sensitive goods from reaching Russia.
The European Commission originally proposed the measures on Feb. 6, aiming for adoption ahead of the fourth anniversary of the invasion, when EU leaders traveled to Kyiv on Feb. 24. However, the plan was delayed due to the vetoes from Budapest and Bratislava. EFE
lpc-lzu-sk
