After Družba Resumed, Hungary Withdrew Its Veto. The EU Provisionally Unblocked 90 Billion for Ukraine, Leaders Meet in Cyprus

On Thursday morning, after an outage lasting several months, supplies of Russian oil via the Družba pipeline to Slovakia resumed. Economy Minister Denisa Saková confirmed that oil began flowing in the early morning hours. HN ↗ The day before, ambassadors of EU member states in Brussels provisionally approved the release of a €90 billion loan for Ukraine as well as the 20th sanctions package against Russia — Slovakia and Hungary withdrew their objections after the flow resumed. Formal approval by ministers was expected later on Thursday. Respekt ↗

The timing link between the resumption of Družba and the withdrawal of Hungary's veto is confirmed by Wednesday's course of the ambassadors' negotiations. Respekt.cz reports that Kyiv politically linked these issues — according to this account, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky connected the completion of the pipeline repairs with the release of European support and with progress in the accession negotiations. Respekt also added that the veto was withdrawn by the outgoing Orbán government after its defeat in the April 12 elections, and that the withdrawal was conditional in nature. Respekt ↗

Prime Minister Robert Fico, just a day before the unblocking, publicly questioned whether Kyiv would actually let the oil through — he spoke of "broken trust" and did not rule out that Ukraine could "stop the supplies again." HN ↗ In parallel, the Slovak Eximbanka concluded a guarantee agreement with the European Commission for energy projects in Ukraine — more than €100 million from Slovak sources is to go toward the restoration of Ukraine's energy sector. TERAZ ↗

On the same day, an informal meeting of EU heads of state and government began in Cyprus. The Cypriot presidency's agenda lists two topics: the geopolitical environment and Europe's response, and the multiannual financial framework for 2028–2034. The war in Ukraine falls within the broader geopolitical framework, not as a separate agenda item. HN ↗

On the eve of the summit, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha declared that his country holds "its strongest position on the battlefield in the past year." HN ↗ Meanwhile, word came from Washington that the US military had deployed the Ukrainian anti-drone system Sky Map at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia — after American systems reportedly proved insufficient against Iranian drones, according to sources. HN ↗

Meanwhile, the political winds in Budapest are shifting. According to reports from novinky.cz, citing a survey by the Median agency, Viktor Orbán's Fidesz is losing voters after its election defeat, while the victorious Tisza party of Péter Magyar is building a substantial lead. Novinky ↗ Outgoing Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused foreign powers of interfering in the Hungarian elections through intelligence services — he presented no evidence. Novinky ↗

For Robert Fico, this means the loss of his closest ally in the EU. Commentator Peter Weiss wrote in Aktuality that "the comfortable coexistence of Fico and Orbán is coming to an end" and that Slovakia will face an "assertive Magyar," who plans a Central European bloc modeled on the Benelux. Aktuality ↗ After a phone call with Fico, Magyar already made further negotiations conditional on the repeal of the law that criminalizes questioning the Beneš decrees — which, according to SME, "irritated" Fico. SME ↗

What remains open? Both the loan and the 20th sanctions package have so far been unblocked only at the level of permanent representatives. For Brussels, this means time pressure: what the outgoing government in Budapest has now opened up may not be confirmed in the same form by Magyar's cabinet. For Fico's government, this is a new equation — its closest Hungarian ally is departing, and his successor has opened dialogue by requesting a change to Slovak legislation.