Some European Union countries are determined to uphold their commitment to provide Ukraine with a vital loan in the coming weeks, even in the face of objections from Hungary and Slovakia. This loan is essential for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression, now in its fifth year. According to Brussels-based Politico, emergency plans are being formulated by representatives from the Baltic and Nordic states within the EU block to circumvent the vetoes of Budapest and Bratislava.

Hungary and Slovakia are currently blocking formal approval for the EU to send a planned €90 billion loan to Ukraine, which was initially agreed upon by all EU leaders last year. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico are demanding the resumption of Russian oil transit through Ukraine, arguing that it was halted due to damage to the Druzhba pipeline. Other EU leaders reportedly plan to persuade Orbán and Fico to change their stance during an upcoming summit in Brussels next Thursday, but if that fails, an emergency plan will be activated.

The alternative emergency plan aims to ensure that Ukraine has enough resources to sustain itself until the middle of the year, according to one of the sources cited. This situation underscores the EU's ongoing struggle to unite its member states on critical issues such as support for Ukraine, revealing the complexities of geopolitical relationships and the varying interests within the union.