EU seeks ways to "save face" for Orban to unblock aid to Ukraine - Politico
EU leaders are looking for ways to ensure a "victory" for Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán and "save his face" so that he unblocks the €90 billion support package for Ukraine.
This is reported by Politico, according to Censor.NET.
Details
According to diplomats, the "victory" could take the form of a promise to resume oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, which transports oil from Russia to Eastern Europe.
"He (Orbán. - Ed.) will get his damn pipeline. This story with Druzhba doesn't seem plausible at all, but he has to win his (election) campaign," said one of the diplomats interviewed by the publication.
Politico notes that the EU is currently "torn": on the one hand, Kyiv is on the brink of a financial crisis, and on the other, the EU does not want to give the Hungarian leader a political gift ahead of the elections.
"Ukraine may run out of money by April, the same month when Hungarians will go to the polls," the article says.
Orbán's actions caused outrage throughout the EU. Earlier this week, European Council President António Costa warned in a letter that the Hungarian prime minister had violated the EU principle of "sincere cooperation," hinting at possible legal sanctions in the form of a so-called infringement procedure. had violated the EU principle of "sincere cooperation," hinting at possible legal sanctions that could take the form of the so-called Article 7 procedure, which would deprive Budapest of its voting rights in the EU.
However, four diplomats and a senior EU official, who were granted anonymity, rejected the idea of a legal solution to the problem. Instead, they argued that leaders should focus on pressuring and persuading Budapest to abandon its veto.
"There is no time for a legal solution. There must be a political decision," said one of the diplomats.
Two diplomats said that a more realistic way to solve the problem would be to draft a document promising to resume Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline. This would allow Orbán to "save face."
What preceded it?
- On January 27, Russian occupation forces struck a critical infrastructure facility belonging to the Naftogaz group in western Ukraine. The target of the attack was likely Ukraine's largest oil pumping station, located in Brody, which supplies the southern branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
- The prime ministers of Hungary and Slovakia, Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico, accused Ukraine of delaying the restoration of the oil pipeline due to "political motives," and on February 18, the authorities of these two countries announced the suspension of oil exports to Ukraine in response to Ukraine's halt of Russian oil transit.
- In addition, Fico warned that Slovakia would also reconsider its support for Ukraine's European integration and could suspend electricity supplies.
- At the same time, Hungary received permission to import Russian oil via an alternative maritime route through Croatia with subsequent transportation via pipeline.
