EU to finalize €90bn Ukraine loan, as Hungary lifts veto

Hungary will not veto, EU can finalize €90 billion loan to Ukraine

European Union ambassadors approved a €90bn loan to Ukraine and a new package of sanctions against Russia after Hungary lifted its veto, the bloc’s Cypriot presidency said. The EU’s 27 member states are expected to formally sign the agreement by Thursday afternoon. The loan is intended to support Ukraine’s finances through 2026 and 2027. Hungary had previously blocked the deal, accusing Ukraine of sabotaging the transit of Russian oil through a pipeline damaged by Russian attacks, a dispute that also delayed the sanctions package the EU had hoped to adopt to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Hungary’s oil group MOL said it had been informed that the Ukrainian operator of the Druzhba pipeline was ready to resume crude oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia. The company said it expected shipments to restart by Thursday at the latest. Both countries remain heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies.

New Medián poll shows Tisza would defeat Fidesz by 65-25

Medián published its first post-election poll in HVG. According to their survey, Tisza Party has continued to gain strength, while Fidesz’s support has declined significantly. Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar’s party would receive votes from 56 percent of the total voting-age population and 66 percent of eligible voters, while Fidesz would receive 21 and 25 percent.

The phenomenon of “siding with the winner” shows not only in party preferences, but also in how respondents recall their decision on April 12. Although Tisza won by a margin of 53 to 39 based on the election results, 59 percent of respondents recalled voting for Tisza, while only 26 percent recalled voting for Fidesz.

The survey also revealed a similar trend regarding voter turnout. Although actual voter turnout was 79 percent, 95 percent of respondents said they voted.

Arrest warrant issued in case linked to Orbán’s younger brother

Arrest warrants have been issued in a criminal case involving a labor hire agency, Hungary’s Central Investigative Prosecutor’s Office said on Friday. The two suspects were taken into custody on suspicion of influence peddling and other offences. At the time, reports indicated that the younger brother of the outgoing prime minister, Áron Orbán, had links to the case, which Telex first wrote about last year.

Prosecutors said a search had been carried out, evidence had been seized, and four individuals were questioned as suspects, with two placed in detention. Citing a risk that the suspects could flee, go into hiding, or obstruct the investigation, authorities sought their arrest, a request upheld by the court. Both suspects and their lawyers have appealed the decision. Áron Orbán is not among those detained.