Hungary and Slovakia Block €100 Billion EU Ukraine Loan at European Council Summit

Hungary and Slovakia blocked the European Council's proposed €100 billion Ukraine loan package at the March 19 summit. Slovak PM Fico declared a 'state of emergency' in Slovakia's oil sector after Russian supply halts, while Czech Republic was among the exempted nations alongside both blockers on the EU emissions trading system. The deadlock exposes deepening fractures in EU solidarity as the war's financial burden grows.