The ouster of EU ‘spoiler-in-chief’ Viktor Orban left the 27-member bloc open to major foreign policy decisions.
Published on 20 April 2026
EU officials have said they expect progress this week on key documents regarding Ukraine and Israel after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose government blocked the initiative, was forced out of office.
Officials said on Monday that Orban’s upcoming departure would open the way for Ukraine to issue a 90 billion euro ($106 billion) loan and impose sanctions on violent Israeli settlers.
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The loan to Ukraine, which Kiev desperately needs to maintain its defense against Russian aggression, should be agreed at a meeting on Wednesday, according to Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU.
In an apparent reference to the change of government in Hungary, a spokesman quoted by the AFP news agency said “the final elements required to allow the disbursement of a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine” will be on the agenda.
A meeting of diplomats on Wednesday will seek consensus on necessary amendments to the bloc’s budget before starting the written process to finalize the loan. The process is expected to move rapidly as Hungary’s new leader Peter Magyar prepares to take power.
Orban, widely known as the EU’s chief spoiler, had withheld the funds to gain leverage in the feud with Kiev over the suspension of Russian oil supplies to Ukrainian territory via the Druzhba pipeline. Ukraine has said that the pipeline was shut down due to the Russian attack.
But Orbán’s departure appears to have opened up opportunities everywhere.
Magyar has said he is ready to work constructively with the EU. He called for the reopening of Druzhba on Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview broadcast the same day that the pipeline would be restored to operation by the end of April, making the loan more likely to be passed.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Twitter last week that it was “high time” to unblock the debt and move ahead with a sanctions package against Russia.
Also last week, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said at an event with Ukraine’s Finance Minister Sergei Marchenko that the EU would definitely extend loans to Ukraine after Hungary’s election.
Steps against Israel appear imminent
On the Middle East front, Kallas said on Monday the bloc would assess whether it was possible to proceed with measures against Israel, including a possible suspension of the EU’s association agreement as well as proposals for sanctions on radical Israeli residents in the occupied West Bank.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has insisted on the former measure, which is on the agenda of a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday.
Suspending the agreement in its entirety requires unanimity, but dropping a separate part of the deal that facilitates closer trade ties would only require support from a weighted majority of EU countries.
The ouster of Orban, a staunchly pro-Israel supporter who for months vetoed sanctions on Israeli residents in the West Bank, raises the prospect of agitation over measures against Israel.
In reference to Orbán, Kallas said on Monday that a country has halted sanctions against Israeli residents.
She said, “Now there are elections in this country and there will be a new government. I will not speak for a new government, but certainly I think we can look at all these policies and see if they have a new approach.”
Measures against Israel would also require a change in the positions of EU giants like Germany or Italy, although the latter has already signaled a tougher stance on Israel by suspending a defense pact.
