00:00The war in Iran raising pressure on Ukraine while Russia prepares new offensive.
00:04Both conflicts were on the agenda at a summit of the European Union in Brussels.
00:08There was consensus, though, on the energy crisis sparked by the war in the Middle East.
00:13The bloc's 27 nations called for moratorium on strikes on energy and water infrastructure
00:18and for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
00:21However, there was outrage after Viktor Orban had refused to lift his veto on funds for Ukraine
00:28in its war effort against Russia.
00:30Some leaders went as far as to accuse the Hungarian prime minister of blackmail.
00:34Here are some of the reactions.
00:36That's why it's completely unacceptable what Hungary is doing,
00:42and this behavior cannot be accepted by the leaders.
00:47And that's why the leaders were very clear today in the council,
00:50condemning clearly the behavior of Hungary in this matter.
00:56Three countries would not participate in the loan.
01:00That condition has been fulfilled.
01:03So let us be clear about where we stand.
01:06The loan remains blocked because one leader is not honoring his word.
01:11But let me reiterate what I already said in Kiev.
01:15We will deliver one way or the other.
01:18Joining me on set is our international affairs editor, Kedavin Gurdjastani.
01:22Hello to you, Kedavin.
01:24This is not the first time that Viktor Orban has derailed EU plans.
01:27It probably won't be the last time either.
01:29No, but there is something a little bit different at this time
01:32that might explain the level of outrage and of frustration from other European leaders.
01:39Obviously, Orban has at numerous times blocked help for Ukraine
01:44or push back against Russia because he is close to Russia.
01:47But this time there was something different.
01:51That deal, that 90 billion euro deal, that deal was agreed on back in December.
01:57And even Viktor Orban had actually eventually agreed,
02:02with Hungary even getting a sort of opt-out on the cost of the loan
02:06in order to get his agreement, to get him on board.
02:10So it's that U-turn that really has angered European leaders.
02:15We heard Antonio Costa there talking.
02:18He said a deal is a deal and all the leaders need to honor that word.
02:22The German chancellor, Friedrich Mertz, he's called it an act of gross disloyalty.
02:27And the French president, Emmanuel Macron,
02:29would hands of state reach a decision, it must be honored.
02:34Now, Orban justified his change of heart by focusing on the Druzhba pipeline.
02:39That's the pipeline that carries Russian oil from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia through Ukraine.
02:47And Orban summed it up this way on X.
02:51He said, no oil equals no money.
02:54Orban claiming that Ukraine is stalling on reparations,
02:58on fixing that pipeline that was damaged by Russian strikes.
03:03But most European leaders don't buy that explanation.
03:08They believe that Orban is using this as a political tool
03:12because obviously you have that election in Hungary on April 12th.
03:18And they believe that Orban focusing on this sort of anti-EU stance
03:23is to help him because his party is trailing in the polls.
03:28The Finnish prime minister put it this way.
03:30He said he's using Ukraine as a weapon in his election campaign.
03:34And this is a lot of money at a crucial time for Ukraine.
03:37If you listen to what was coming out of Brussels,
03:39they make it sound like it's not a done deal.
03:41So what can the EU do?
03:43Well, first of all, the Europeans tried to get in front of that sort of Hungarian U-turn
03:50by offering technical and financial support to the Ukrainians
03:54to help fix and repair that pipeline, help that the Ukrainians accepted.
04:00But Orban called it a fairy tale and it didn't prevent, in the end, him from changing his mind.
04:08The Europeans are also now calling on the European Commission
04:12to examine ways to possibly implement this loan without needing unanimous voting within the 27 members,
04:22therefore bypassing Orban's veto and possibly also a Slovakian veto.
04:28So it's unclear whether they will be able to find that loophole,
04:33but they are pushing for someone to figure out a way, a legal way of getting around that.
04:38There's also hope that Viktor Orban, of course, loses on April 12th
04:44and is replaced by someone who is more pro-European, more pro-Ukrainian
04:49and less of a thorn in the side of the other European leaders.
04:53But even that is a little bit tricky because time is obviously of the essence.
04:59The estimate is that Ukraine is going to start running out of money as early as the beginning of May.
05:06And in order to have that loan unlocked by the beginning of May,
05:10the European leaders would have to agree on it mid-April.
05:14Mid-April, of course, is pretty much the election in Hungary.
05:17So all eyes will be on that election to try to act very quickly after that
05:22if the result goes in the way of the pro-European, pro-Ukrainian crowd.
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