Hungary's Resistance: EU Sanctions and Ukraine Loan Standoff

Hungary plans to block further EU sanctions on Moscow and a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, as tensions rise between Kyiv and Hungary over an oil pipeline outage. Ukraine's Zelenskiy claims Putin has started World War Three, urging a global response. EU ministers continue negotiations under mounting pressure.

Hungary appears poised to block additional European Union sanctions on Moscow and a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, amid ongoing tensions ahead of Russia's invasion anniversary. The decision comes as Ukraine's President Zelenskiy asserts that President Putin has effectively ignited World War Three, advocating for immediate international intervention.

The brewing row centers on a severe outage of the Druzhba oil pipeline, accused by Budapest as being caused by Kyiv. Hungary's Foreign Minister criticized Ukraine's posture, while Prime Minister Orban emphasized the outage's threat to Hungary's energy security. This impasse also jeopardizes EU foreign ministers' efforts to finalize their sanctions package.

Ukraine remains steadfast against withdrawing from the contested eastern Donetsk region. Meanwhile, Russian forces continue drone attacks on Ukraine's southern regions, highlighting the conflict's enduring atrocities. As diplomatic efforts for peace persist, tensions within the EU regarding unified support for Ukraine intensify.

(With inputs from agencies.)