Orbán rebukes Latvian PM over her position on loan to Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has criticised Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa for siding with Kyiv rather than Budapest in the dispute over an EU loan for Ukraine.

Orbán was responding to Siliņa's post in which she reminded Hungary that, during the European Council meeting in December, Budapest supported the loan and should honour its commitments.

"You are mistaken. Hungary is acting in accordance with the EU agreement concluded in December 2025. We agreed to this arrangement because, at that time, Ukraine was still complying with its obligations under the Association Agreement with the European Union and was not blocking oil shipments from Russia to Hungary," Orbán wrote on X.

"You cannot ask me to support an EU loan to a country that has unlawfully altered the agreed conditions of December 2025," he added.

The Hungarian prime minister also advised his Latvian counterpart that, instead of attacking him, she should "be knocking on President Zelenskyy's door, urging him to restore lawful conditions and to lift the oil blockade on Hungary".

"For us Hungarians, it is difficult to understand why Latvia, our ally in NATO and partner in the European Union, stands not with Hungary but with Ukraine, which is in breach of its obligations," he concluded.

He also described Hungary's position as legally sound, morally right and politically reasonable.

On 19 March, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Budapest would not unblock any decisions favourable to Ukraine until Kyiv restores Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that Ukraine would be forced to resume Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline because it would "run out of money".

On 25 March, Orbán also announced the suspension of gas supplies to Ukraine until oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline is restored.