EU Unblocks Ukraine Aid
- EU ambassadors preliminarily approved a major loan package for Ukraine after Hungary and Slovakia lifted vetoes. - The package is roughly €90bn this year and next, reported as about $105bn by another outlet. - The decision followed a breakthrough resuming Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline, showing energy concerns shaped the political compromise ( ).
European Union governments cleared a €90 billion loan for Ukraine on April 23 after Hungary and Slovakia dropped their objections. (apnews.com) European Union ambassadors first gave preliminary approval on April 22, and the Council of the European Union formally adopted the package a day later. The loan covers this year and next year, and news agencies put its value at about $106 billion. (rferl.org) (apnews.com) Hungary and Slovakia had tied their support to the restart of oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline, a Soviet-era route that carries Russian crude across Ukraine to Central Europe. Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková said flows resumed early on April 23. (politico.eu) (apnews.com) The loan gives Kyiv budget support and money for military needs at a time when Ukraine is trying to fund both the war and basic state services. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the package would strengthen the army and help Ukraine meet social obligations. (apnews.com) (yahoo.com) The standoff had lasted for months as Budapest and Bratislava argued that interrupted pipeline transit threatened their energy security. Reuters, cited by CBC and NDTV, reported that Hungary’s veto had effectively blocked the package until oil shipments resumed. (cbc.ca) (ndtv.com) Druzhba is one of the few remaining channels for Russian oil into parts of the European Union because pipeline supplies to Hungary and Slovakia have been exempt from the bloc’s sanctions. That left a repaired energy route and a wartime finance deal moving together. (rferl.org) (politico.eu) Brussels said the first payment would be made as soon as possible after the final legislation was in place. The same negotiations also cleared a new sanctions package against Russia. (euronews.com) (rferl.org) For Ukraine, the result was simple: oil started moving west again, and European money started moving east. (politico.eu) (apnews.com)
