Ruptly
"Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Friday that the election defeat of Hungary’s Viktor Orban was an 'Easter gift' for Kiev, suggesting it could unlock stalled progress on EU accession and financial support. "It was like an Easter gift for us. That is true. You know that we celebrate Orthodox Easter, and for us these news were really good. I can confirm this," Sybiha said. "After years of provocations from the Orban regime, now we have a chance to speed up our European path," he added. Sybiha said Kiev now hopes to move forward on several key issues, including opening accession negotiation, unblocking a €90 billion EU loan package, and advancing a new round of sanctions against Russia. "Now, we have this chance to formally open six clusters, to unblock a 90 billion loan, to impose or approve the twentieth sanctions package. And also, we are ready to open a new page with the newly elected government," he said. During his time in office, Orban had slowed Ukraine’s EU accession process and blocked key measures, including financial aid and support for sanctions against Russia. The €90 billion package refers to proposed EU support for Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, backed strongly by Germany and other member states. Under an agreement reached at a European Council summit in December 2025, Hungary, along with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, was excluded from the financial guarantees tied to the loan. Hungary’s prime minister-elect Peter Magyar has since confirmed that Budapest will remain outside the scheme, while signalling a willingness to ease political tensions. Magyar’s Tisza Party secured 138 seats in the recent parliamentary elections, winning just over 53 per cent of the vote, while Orbán’s Fidesz alliance took 55 seats. The campaign was marked by competing claims of foreign interference, with the Hungarian government accusing the European Union and Ukraine of influence, allegations denied by Kiev and opposition figures."
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