Topic analysis

EU approves €90bn loan for Ukraine as pipeline is turned on ending deadlock

Ukraine has resumed pumping Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia, ending a months-long deadlock that blocked EU approval of a €90bn loan. EU ambassadors gave preliminary approval to the loan (along with a 20th sanctions package on Russia) following the pipeline restart—enabled by completed repairs to Russian attack damage and the recent election defeat of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, who had vetoed the loan; EU leaders will finalize the approval at an informal summit on Thursday, with two-thirds of the funds earmarked for Ukraine’s defense needs and the rest for broader financial assistance.