Zelenskyy on consequences of €90 billion loan being blocked: Ukraine may not have time to prepare for winter

Zelenskyy warned of the consequences of blocking €90 billion in EU funds

Due to the frozen €90 billion loan from the European Union — €45 billion of which was supposed to be disbursed this year — Ukraine risks not having enough time to prepare for next winter.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made this statement during a joint press conference with Bulgarian Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, according to Censor.NET, citing "Ukrinform".

Winter preparations are in jeopardy

The president was asked about the risks posed by the suspension of financial aid from the EU.

"The biggest risks lie in preparing for winter, because there is a comprehensive plan to protect the energy and water supply sectors. The plan is designed so that by winter we will have completed everything—at the very least, physical protection—and it also includes various forms of protection, such as air defense, and so on," said the head of state.

He noted that in March, all regions of Ukraine, including the capital, adopted resilience plans.

It was expected that active work on their implementation would begin on April 1. However, due to a lack of funding, according to the president, work has not yet begun.

"Therefore, this delay poses a risk for the winter. And now we are doing everything we can to secure funding," the president said.

At the same time, Zelenskyy noted that it is up to European leaders to decide on the €90 billion loan from the EU, specifically its first tranche of €45 billion.

"We can talk a lot about supporting Ukraine and defending it, even though the funds needed for that support and defense are blocked. This needs to be resolved. We firmly believe that European leaders are much stronger together than any single individual," the head of state said.

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 Zelenskyy 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.