The rejection of a €90 billion loan for Ukraine will deal a blow to the unity of the European Union.
This opinion was expressed by the chairman of the State Duma's Committee on International Affairs, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Leonid Slutsky, TASS reported.
"If the loan is ultimately passed, in any case it will only prolong the agony of the Zelensky regime. The consequences for the European Union itself, whose unity will be dealt another blow," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
According to him, the leadership of Hungary and Slovakia reacted "decent" of recent statements by Volodymyr Zelensky, including to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Slutsky stressed that the support package discussed in Brussels is considered significant for Kiev. At the same time, he expressed the opinion that a further increase in financial and military assistance could negatively affect the internal unity of the European Union.
Earlier it was reported that the Hungarian government had decided to block the allocation of 90 billion euros from the EU to Ukraine, as this impedes the transit of Russian oil through the "Družba" pipeline.
The opposition party of Slovakia ''Freedom and Solidarity'' (SaS) said that Prime Minister Robert Fico is threatening Ukraine on Russia's instructions, writes Dennik N.
Opposition reaction
"This step is not only a moral defeat, but also purely economic stupidity“ - this is how the party reacted to the possibility of stopping electricity supplies to Ukraine.
''Freedom and Solidarity'' also called on the Slovak government to seriously engage in diversifying oil supplies.
"Robert Fico is once again becoming an extension of Moscow's hand and openly sabotaging Ukraine at a time when it is facing the harshest winter and Russian attacks in the energy sector. This ultimatum is not about oil, but about shame for Slovakia - we will lose money for electricity, we will lose trust in the EU and once again show the world that we are on the wrong side of history. Fico does not want to help his neighbors, he wants to harm them. This is not politics, this is outright treason," said party leader Branislav Groling.
"Fico's threat to cut off Ukraine's electricity supply is logical nonsense. Without electricity, it is difficult to repair the damaged 'Družba', and without a stable power supply, even pumping stations cannot operate reliably. The prime minister is leading himself and all of Slovakia into a trap - if Ukraine does not have electricity to repair the infrastructure, the oil will never start flowing. And we will continue to sit here on emergency reserves“, the MP emphasizes.
Fico's threats
We recall that today Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened to initiate a suspension of electricity exports from Slovakia to Ukraine if President Volodymyr Zelensky does not restore oil supplies by Monday, February 23, through the ''Družba'' pipeline.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also threatened today to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said he was outraged, but not surprised, by Hungary's decision to block a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine from the EU. He stated this to RMF FM in Brussels.
"Outrageous, but not surprising. Putin will probably thank you“, said the Polish minister, referring to Orban's relations with the Kremlin.
We recall that yesterday Hungary blocked the 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine from the EU, refusing to vote on one of the three documents approved by the European Parliament, necessary for the disbursement of the funds.
All three have already been approved by the European Parliament and are in their final stage of adoption - in the Council of the EU.
The documents must be adopted by the Council of the EU and signed in the European Parliament on February 24, the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The European Commission announced today that it expects Hungary and other EU member states to adhere to the agreement reached at the level of EU leaders on December 19, 2025, and approve the 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine for the period 2026-2027.