Hungary is negotiating for a defense loan of 16 billion euros – media

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is ready to unblock an EU loan for Ukraine of 90 billion euros if the European Commission approves Budapest’s application for a defense loan of 16 billion euros under the SAFE instrument.

This is reported by Politico.

According to the newspaper’s sources, Orban is using the veto as a pressure tool to speed up approval of Hungary’s application, which is a 16 billion euro loan that Hungary plans to receive under the new EU defense program SAFE.

SAFE Security Action for Europe is a defense initiative of the European Union worth up to 150 billion euros, which is intended to strengthen the military capabilities of member states and support Ukraine.

In a letter to European Council President António Costa, Orbán made it clear that he might change his position on the blockade if Brussels conducts an official assessment of the damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline in Ukraine.

At the same time, diplomats note that Budapest’s position may go beyond the pipeline issue. According to them, the main goal remains to approve a defense loan for Hungary.

In parallel, the EU is discussing the possibility of bypassing the blockade. The Council’s lawyers drew attention to Article 327 of the EU treaties, which obliges states not participating in enhanced cooperation not to hinder its implementation by other countries.

As previously reported, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, together with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, proposed on February 27, 2026, to create a joint investigative commission to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline.

As a reminder, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced its rejection and condemnation of ultimatums and blackmail by the leadership of the governments of Hungary and the Slovak Republic regarding energy supplies between the countries.

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