Ukraine expects start of 90 billion EU loan next month, despite Hungary veto

Ukraine is still expecting the first tranche of a 90-billion euro ($103.89 billion) loan from the European Union next month, despite a failure to break Hungary's veto of the funding at a summit this week, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday.



EU leaders were unable to convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday to lift his blockade of the loan, which is crucial for Ukraine to maintain its fight against Russia following its February 2022 invasion.



Zelenskiy said he had discussed the matter with the EU leaders and trusted they would find a solution.



"We are more optimistic. They will find ways to provide us with funding partially," Zelenskiy told reporters in the WhatsApp media chat. "We are expecting in April the first tranche of the amount we agreed for 2026."