EU has not approved loan to Hungary for rearmament due to its veto of loan to Ukraine, — media

The European Commission has "put on hold" the approval of Hungary's loan plan for rearmament under the SAFE program.

This is reported by the Polish publication RMF24, according to Censor.NET.

The unofficial reason is the blocking of a loan to Ukraine

On Wednesday, March 25, the European Commission approved the defense plans of France and the Czech Republic, while Hungary’s plan, worth approximately 16 billion euros, was not approved.

Officially, the European Commission states that "the assessment is ongoing, and the Commission will approve the plan for Hungary once it is ready."

However, the unofficial reason for this delay is Hungary's blocking of a 90-billion-dollar loan to Ukraine.

"It is difficult for the European Commission to approve billions of euros for Viktor Orbán when he is violating the principle of 'loyal cooperation' and blocking funds for a country at war with Russia," explained an unnamed EU diplomat.

According to journalists, Budapest is "very interested" in receiving funds under the SAFE program, requesting over a billion euros more than what Brussels is offering.

What happened before?

Earlier, the Hungarian prime minister blocked a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of deliberately blocking oil transit from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline, which had been damaged by Russian attacks.
The day before, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a veiled reference to Orbán, stated that if the EU’s €90 billion loan to assist Ukraine continues to be blocked, "that person’s address" will be provided to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Hungarian government characterized the Ukrainian president's statement as an "open threat".
This caused a major scandal in Hungary, prompting a reaction even from the opposition. Péter Magyar, leader of the Hungarian opposition party Tisa, called on Zelensky to apologize for his remarks, which he described as "threats" against Orbán.
Orbán stated that Hungary will "force its way through" the "blockade" of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Subsequently, seven employees of Oschadbank were detained in Hungary on suspicion of money laundering. Among those detained is reportedly a retired general of the Ukrainian security services.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised citizens to refrain from traveling to Hungary.
A team from the NBU is rushing to Budapest following the detention of cash collectors.
The National Police of Ukraine has opened an investigation.
The Hungarian government has announced that seven Ukrainian cash collectors will be deported.
On the evening of March 6, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced the release of seven Ukrainian cash transporters who had been detained in Hungary.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that on the morning of March 11, a group of Hungarian citizens entered Ukrainian territory without official status or scheduled official meetings.
President Zelenskyy stated that he is unaware of what the Hungarian delegation is doing in Ukraine.
Subsequently, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Zelenskyy of lying and published a Hungarian diplomatic note indicating that Budapest had requested a meeting between Cepec and Ukrainian Minister Denys Shmyhal.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry's note indicates that the Hungarian side did not coordinate its delegation's visit to the Druzhba oil pipeline with Ukraine and received proposals from Kyiv regarding alternative dates for the visit.