Russia's Medvedev: Dumb EU logic wants us to pay €90bln loan
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev criticized a €90 billion loan to Ukraine on Thursday, arguing that, according to the European Union's "idiotic logic," it is Russia that will have to pay for it, AzerNEWS reports.
"The EU is finally giving the long-awaited loan to the Kyiv thief, and the money doesn't have to be paid back ... Enjoy getting played again, Europeans - that's €90 billion out of your pockets," Medvedev wrote on his X account.
The EU agreed to release the €90 billion loan to Ukraine on Thursday following months of tense negotiations.
"The European support loan for Ukraine has been unblocked ― €90 billion over two years," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Hungary and Slovakia, which had previously blocked the financial package, failed to object before a 3 p.m. deadline, clearing the final hurdle to approve the loan.
The two countries lifted their vetoes after oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline, which was damaged by Russian strikes earlier this year, resumed on Thursday.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen celebrated the news on her way to Cyprus, where she is meeting with European leaders to discuss the energy crisis caused by the war in the Middle East.
"While Russia doubles down on its aggression, we are doubling down on our support to the brave Ukrainian nation, enabling Ukraine to defend itself," von der Leyen wrote on X.
Hungary's outgoing prime minister, Viktor Orbán, and Slovakia’s Robert Fico, conditioned their support for the loan on the restoration of oil flows through the pipeline.
The restart ends a months-long standoff that blocked the EU’s largest financial package for Kyiv, and which sparked fears the war-battered country would run out of money.
Zelenskyy announced his country would repair the Druzhba pipeline shortly after Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar defeated Orbán in national elections held earlier this month.
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