“It was a tough debate, but we stood our ground,” Orban said in a public statement following the vote. “We have the right to say no to the Ukrainian war loan.”

The root of the fiasco is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s reluctance to repair and reopen the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which was damaged by Russian strikes earlier this year.

That pipeline is a critical oil source for European countries importing the fuel from Russia — an economic arrangement Ukraine has little incentive to facilitate. But Kyiv officials have dragged their feet for too long, and Hungary, Moscow’s closest ally within the European Union, decided to call the bluff.

“As long as [Zelensky] does not lift the oil blockade, they will not receive any money from Brussels,” Orban said. “No oil=no money.”

A flurry of outrage followed from European leaders who saw Hungary’s position as a cynical maneuver to play to Orban’s nationalist voter base ahead of the April elections and curry favor with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

European Council President Antonio Costa accused Orban of “violating the [European Council’s] principle of sincere cooperation” and implied Hungary was trying to “blackmail the European Union.”

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo accused Orban of “using Ukraine as a weapon in his election campaigning.”

“It’s not good,” Orpo added. “We had a deal, and I think that he betrayed us.”

“It’s unacceptable to decide with the leaders and then after say, ‘But I’m not ready to execute what I decided,’” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said.

The European Union has offered to deploy a third-party scouting team to survey the damage done to the Druzhba pipeline, ensuring that steps will be taken to return it to operation. Hungary previously dismissed the idea as a “fairy tale.”

Orban is facing a serious political crunch at home as his conservative-nationalist party, Fidesz — Hungarian Civic Alliance, is polling behind the pro-European opposition, the Respect and Freedom Party, or Tisza.

VIKTOR ORBAN FACES UPHILL BATTLE TO HOLD LEADERSHIP AS OPPOSITION HITS HOM ON RUSSIA TIES AND ACCUSATIONS OF CORRUPTION

Tisza sits at approximately 38% support among all voters, compared to 30% support for Fidesz, according to a poll conducted between March 2 and March 6 by Hungarian firm 21 Research ⁠Centre.

The prime minister has leaned into a nationalist, Euroskeptic platform that seeks to isolate Hungary from the perceived missteps of the broader European Union — such as mass migration and the collapse of traditional values.