Politico: Orban Has Crossed EU Red Line, After Elections He Will Face Reckoning
- 19.03.2026, 14:01
- 6,362
The impending reckoning for Budapest was announced by five EU diplomats and a government minister.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blocked a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine that he himself approved in December, crossing a line beyond which the EU will no longer remain silent.
The Politico reports.
The EU leaders' summit in Brussels on Thursday could be Orban's last - he faces elections in April, where he is losing to his opponent.
The impending reckoning for Budapest was announced by five EU diplomats and a government minister from one of the bloc's countries.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful bluntly warned in a private meeting that Budapest's obstructionism could no longer be tolerated. Other ministers have spoken out even harsher.
"Prime Minister Orban must realize that he is constantly testing the limits of what other member states are willing to tolerate," said one EU diplomat.
Sweden has already openly stated its willingness to consider Article 7 of the EU Treaty, a mechanism for stripping Hungary of its voting rights.
What happens next
The real consequences depend on the outcome of the April 12 election. If Orban's rival Peter Magyar wins - the EU will take a wait-and-see attitude. If Orbán is re-elected - a "serious conversation" between the bloc's countries on the way forward will begin.
"There will certainly be repercussions after the election. We are just waiting for it to happen," one diplomat said.
The EU is now considering tying the funding to stricter rule of law conditions.
Leaders face a choice: take the loan off the agenda and piss off Zielenski - or go for a confrontation with Hungary and look like they are being blackmailed.
"If we can't get the loan through, Zelensky, quite rightly, will be furious," one diplomat acknowledged.
What happened
Orban used the damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline in January to block a loan to Ukraine. This is a violation of his own word to EU leaders and at the same time a convenient excuse for an election campaign.
Simultaneously, the Hungarian prime minister detained an armored convoy carrying Ukrainian gold and published a video claiming Ukraine was threatening his family.
By the way, former Fidesz MP Juzhanna Szelenyi believes he is capable of provoking a constitutional crisis or declaring a state of emergency to make it harder to form a new government.
She says if the opposition wins only a simple majority - Orban will have enough tools to effectively block parliament.
Experts say: Orban is unlikely to directly claim fraud - it would hurt his chances of a comeback. But he will challenge the results in individual constituencies and encourage supporters to protest.
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