Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kremlin delivers update on peace talks as war rages in Iran

European Union leaders failed to convince Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban on Thursday to lift his blockade on a vital 90-billion-euro ($103 billion) EU loan to Ukraine, officials said.

“They tried. They failed,” one European official said of the efforts by other EU leaders to convince Orban at a summit in Brussels.

EU leaders agreed to the loan in December but Orban, who has cordial ties with Russia and has clashed with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, has blocked its implementation, citing a dispute over a war-damaged pipeline.

Orban’s stance has angered other EU leaders as Kyiv could run short of money in weeks if it does not receive new funding and his U-turn has called into question the credibility of the European Council, the EU’s highest decision-making body.

“It was intense, a lot of pressure on Orban that (EU summit) decisions are respected by all,” another European official said after the leaders discussed the Ukraine loan.

A third European official, referring to Orban, said: “Discussion was tough and rough, but Viktor is still not budging.” A fourth said: “Everyone is increasingly angry with Orban.”

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential discussions between leaders.

A 90 billion-euro aid package from the European Union ⁠that is currently blocked by Hungary is critical for ⁠Kyiv ​as it ⁠faces a “very difficult” situation ⁠while fighting Russia, President ​Volodymyr ⁠Zelensky said ‌on Thursday.

In comments to the European ‌Council, he added ‌that Ukraine was working productively with ⁠the EU on restoring the Druzhba oil pipeline damaged by Russia, and that he has received ‌signals from the US that peace talks with Russia may resume soon.

Ukraine could boost ​rapeseed plantings by a third to 1.5 million hectares if the conflict in Iran drags on, its deputy economy minister told Reuters on Thursday, ⁠as soaring global fuel prices lift demand for biodiesel feedstocks.

Fuel prices have surged since US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February sparked conflict in the Middle East, ⁠raising concerns of further increases ​if the ⁠war persists.

Ukraine is a major European producer and exporter of rapeseed, bought largely by EU countries for cooking oil and biodiesel.

“If this situation drags on, then yes, farmers will expand their rapeseed acreage and could reach 1.5 million hectares in autumn and that is 400,000 hectares more than today,” Taras Vysotskiy said.

“It is simply difficult to increase the area under cultivation by that much in a single year,” he added.