Pinho: EU expects loan to Ukraine to be unblocked as soon as possible

The European Commission expects swift progress on a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, while a decision on the 20th package of EU anti-Russian sanctions has not yet been made and is being discussed in the EU Council, European Commission Chief Spokesperson Paula Pinho said at a briefing in Brussels, Report informs.

Both issues remain unresolved due to Hungary's veto, which linked its agreement to the restoration of the Druzhba oil pipeline.

Regarding how soon Hungary's position might change following today's announcement of plans to repair the Druzhba pipeline, Pinho noted that "ideally, this will happen before the European Council meeting on March 19."

"We have no news regarding the sanctions package. But we remain committed to its adoption and are negotiating with the EU Council for its approval. Regarding the loan, negotiations are ongoing, and we hope to see some progress on this issue soon," she said.

Pinho did not explain why the decision to support the repair and restoration of the pipeline had been delayed.

However, she expressed understanding with Ukraine's initial position: "Energy infrastructure has been systematically and deliberately targeted by Russia over the past four years. This is precisely why we understood President Zelenskyy's initial reaction, because, in essence, Russia is destroying, and Ukraine is rebuilding, and this is happening again."

The European Commission spokesperson called a complete rejection of Russian oil and gas the best solution, noting that the EU has medium- and long-term programs for this.