No one can blackmail EU institutions, said the President of the European Council Antonio Costa at a press conference after the end of the meeting of European leaders in Brussels, at which Hungary confirmed that it retains its veto on decisions related to the loan for Ukraine, accession negotiations with Kiev and the introduction of additional sanctions against Russia, BTA reported.
Costa noted that EU leaders have clearly condemned the attitude of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and insisted that everyone must keep their word. Košta made the comment in response to Orbán's insistence that oil supplies from Russia to Hungary via Ukraine via the Druzhba pipeline be restored first.
"It is not a gesture of goodwill when the EU is given unenforceable conditions. Only Russia can decide whether to strike the pipeline again. Russia has so far fired on this facility 23 times. Ukraine and the EU are not responsible. Hungary's actions are completely unacceptable. The leaders have clearly condemned Hungary's behavior on this issue," Košta said. According to him, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised to restore the pipeline within the next six weeks.
A decision was made in December to provide a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine on the condition that three debtors do not participate, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The loan remains blocked because one of the leaders did not keep his word. We will achieve the goal one way or another, she added.
Regarding the events in the Middle East, Costa and Von der Leyen called for maximum restraint. According to them, the EC will soon present temporary and targeted measures to contain the rise in energy prices, including reducing electricity tariffs and expanding state aid opportunities. The European Emissions Trading System is working, but it needs to be updated and made more flexible, the EC President said.
According to Von der Leyen, there is currently no movement of migrants from the Middle East to Europe, but the EU must be prepared. "We will not allow a repeat of the events of 2015, we have learned the lessons of the past," she said.