Germany, Belgium outraged for PM Orbán’s veto concerning Ukraine

Germany and Belgium sharply criticized Hungarian premier Orbán on Wednesday for blocking a new EU sanctions package against Russia and a €90 billion ($106 billion) loan for Ukraine.

Hungary betrays its own struggle for freedom

At a joint news conference with his Belgian counterpart in Berlin, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Hungary was contradicting itself.

“Last December, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán agreed to precisely the course of action that his foreign minister is now blocking. Hungary cannot explain this inconsistency,” he said.

“I remain appalled by Hungary’s behavior. It betrays its own struggle for freedom,” he said, referring to Hungary’s pivotal role in 1989, when it became the first country to cut through the Iron Curtain.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot echoed the condemnation, labeling Hungary’s blockade “unacceptable” and warning that the patience of fellow EU members was wearing thin.

“We are all aware that elections are a difficult time; we experience this ourselves time and again,” Prevot said, nodding to Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections in April.

Orbán crossed a red line

“But to take the fate and needs of Ukraine and its people hostage in a war situation seems to me to be a red line,” he continued. “I call on Hungary for a reconsideration of this position, in order to remain true to this commitment, this obligation.”

The criticism follows a letter Orbán sent to EU leaders on Monday, in which he faulted Ukraine for failing to restart oil transfers through the Druzhba pipeline — a key conduit supplying Hungary with Russian crude. Orbán noted that Budapest had previously backed EU decisions favorable to Ukraine but deemed the current impasse unsustainable, arguing that Kyiv was creating an energy emergency situation.

Orbán: Ukraine will be unable to pay its bills in weeks

At an event yesterday, the prime minister acknowledged the difficult situation, noting that while Ukraine could exert pressure on Hungary, Budapest also had leverage over Kyiv. He said that in such circumstances, it was not enough to merely defend against threats, but that Hungary must also take countermeasures to deter future coercion.

“Because if Ukraine, or anyone else, gets used to the idea that blackmailing Hungary yields results, it will not end well,” he said. “We must put a stop to it from the very beginning.“

Orbán noted Hungary’s decision to block all EU decisions favourable to Ukraine, including the release of a 90 billion euro aid package, as part of this strategy. He reiterated that there were no technical or physical obstacles preventing the Druzhba pipeline from resuming operations — only political ones.

He also suggested that Ukraine’s ability to pay its bills would likely run out by April, making it urgent for both sides to resolve the dispute, with or without Brussels’ involvement.

Orbán said Hungary also had the potential to halt electricity flows to Ukraine, adding, however, that the government was refraining from using this option for now, out of concern for ethnic Hungarians living across the border and to avoid worsening conditions for ordinary Ukrainians.

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