According to reporting by Politico, the European Union is preparing a backroom deal with Hungary intended to resolve a political impasse regarding Russian oil supplies. This strategy comes as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban holds the EU hostage by vetoing a proposed emergency loan of €90 billion to Ukraine, which is desperately needed amidst its ongoing conflict. Orban claims that Ukraine is using energy supply disruptions as a political weapon against him ahead of Hungary's parliamentary elections slated for April.

The heart of the contention lies in accusations from Orban that Ukraine is deliberately withholding supplies of Russian crude via the Druzhba pipeline, impacting Hungary’s energy stability and acting against its national interests. To counter this situation, the EU is exploring various strategies to persuade Hungary, including the potential invocation of Article 7 of the EU Treaty, which could suspend Hungary’s veto right, thereby circumventing its objection to the funding for Ukraine.

As the EU navigates these complex diplomatic waters, the implications of the decision to engage in backroom negotiations with Hungary regarding Russian oil supplies raise significant questions. It illustrates the EU's intricate balance between maintaining unity among member states and providing essential support to Ukraine while managing the delicate issue of energy dependencies on Russia. This ongoing situation could also have repercussions for EU-Russia relations and set a precedent for how disputes among EU members are handled in the face of geopolitical challenges.