Senior European officials rebuked Hungary after it signalled it could veto a fresh package of sanctions on Russia and delay approval of a €90bn loan intended to support Ukraine. The move threatens to fracture what Brussels has sought to present as a unified front against Moscow.

Hungary, alongside Slovakia, argues that Kyiv has disrupted the transit of Russian oil across Ukrainian territory, undermining their energy security. Ukrainian authorities dispute the characterisation, insisting transit arrangements remain consistent with wartime constraints.

Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, accused Viktor Orban of weaponising the dispute for domestic political gain, claiming the Hungarian leader is portraying Ukraine as a scapegoat ahead of April’s elections. The confrontation underscores widening divisions within the European Union over strategy toward Russia as the war drags on.