EU summit: Hungary holds Ukraine aid ransom over Druzhba oil

Hungary and Slovakia have said they will not approve a major loan package for Ukraine until oil deliveries from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline are restored. EU leaders failed to sway them in Brussels.

• EU leaders convene amid the war in Iran and the disruption to energy markets as a result
• Viktor Orban, facing a fierce election battle in Hungary, says he stood his ground in a 'tough debate' on resuming oil deliveries through the Russian Druzhba pipeline
• Slovakia's Robert Fico questions whether Ukraine's claims of the pipeline being damaged were accurate 
• EU leaders close ranks in condemning Orban and accusing him of "using Ukraine as a weapon in his election campaigning"
• The major loan package for Kyiv is seen as crucial to maintaining the government's liquidity
• Landlocked Hungary and Slovakia granted an exemption to sanctions on Russian oil deliveries because of their pronounced dependence on them

These are our updates from or pertaining to the EU leaders' summit in Brussels on March 19 and 20, 2026. This blog is now closed.