Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has once again positioned himself as one of the European Union’s most outspoken critics of the bloc’s approach to the Ukraine conflict, sharply condemning a newly approved €90 billion interest-free loan package for Kiev. While acknowledging that the final agreement avoided what he sees as an even more dangerous precedent-seizing frozen Russian assets-Orban warned that the EU’s decision nonetheless risks deepening Europe’s entanglement in a prolonged and escalating war.

Speaking shortly after EU leaders finalized the joint borrowing plan, Orban described the initiative as fundamentally flawed, economically reckless, and politically destabilizing. According to the Hungarian leader, the loan, although framed as financial assistance, is effectively a transfer of taxpayer money that is unlikely to ever be repaid.

“This is a bad decision, which brings Europe closer to the war,” Orban said, arguing that the structure of the loan ignores basic financial realities. “It looks like a loan, but of course, the Ukrainians will never be able to pay it back. So it is basically losing money.”

The €90 billion package is intended to support Ukraine over the 2026–2027 period, with the EU raising funds on international capital markets. The agreement came only after days of tense negotiations among member states and the collapse of a more controversial proposal that would have used frozen Russian assets as collateral or direct funding.

For Orban, the final compromise does little to resolve the underlying issue: Europe’s growing financial and political exposure to the conflict. While Hungary ultimately lifted its veto, the decision was not an endorsement. Instead, Budapest-along with Slovakia and the Czech Republic-secured opt-outs that exempt them from providing guarantees for the loan.

“The loan required a unanimous decision, and finally we gave up the right to veto,........

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