The first part of the European Union's billion-euro loan to Ukraine has been approved by member states, according to Reuters. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the last holdout to get the loan through, and he has lifted his veto, multiple sources report. A key factor in Hungary dropping its veto was that Ukraine now allows oil to flow from Russia to the EU via the Druzhba pipeline, major media outlets said. Repairs to the Druzhba pipeline were linked to freeing the €90 billion EU loan, which had been blocked by Hungary and Slovakia, according to multiple reports. Top EU officials are cautiously optimistic that the loan scheme might be approved as soon as Wednesday, sources said. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the loan saga had taken many twists and turns and expected an agreement in 24 hours. European Council President Antonio Costa thanked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for repairing the Druzhba pipeline and restoring its operation.
The status of the Druzhba pipeline remains disputed. Ukraine has completed repairs on the damaged pipeline and is preparing to resume flows, according to Zelenskyy. However, Ukraine also says its evidence proves the pipeline remains damaged and cannot resume deliveries, and Zelenskyy said the repair might take up to one and a half months and warned conditions on the ground are dangerous. Hungary and Slovakia insist they have intelligence that Druzhba is operational and being shut for political reasons. Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia have been halted for two months after Russian drone attacks damaged the pipeline, Ukrainian officials said. A Russian drone attack was reported on 27 January affecting the Druzhba pipeline, according to research. Hungary and Slovakia accused Kyiv of deliberately obstructing Russian deliveries. Zelenskyy warned there is no guarantee Russia will not target the infrastructure again.
The dispute over the pipeline has escalated into a broader confrontation between Hungary and Ukraine. The European Commission has publicly urged Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dial down inflammatory rhetoric over the Druzhba pipeline, according to deputy chief spokesperson Olof Gill. In response to the halt in oil supplies, Orbán vetoed a €90 billion loan to Ukraine that EU leaders had signed off on in December. Orbán threatened to use military force to 'break the Ukrainian oil blockade', he said at a press conference. Zelenskyy suggested giving Orbán's phone number to Ukrainian soldiers to convince him to lift the veto, which Budapest condemned as a 'death threat', according to a press conference. Hungary detained a bank cargo heading to Ukraine carrying $40 million, €35 million and 9 kg of gold, which Kyiv condemned as 'state terrorism'. The Commission is examining 'possible financial support' to speed up repairs of Druzhba, Gill said.
In Sweden, several incidents have occurred. A man has been arrested by security guards and watchmen at a protected object in Värtahamnen, Stockholm, police said. The man is suspected of gross unlawful intrusion, violation of the Protection Act, and theft (including clothes), according to police. A missing boy in Borlänge has been found outside the city center and is not physically injured, police spokesperson Anders Dahlman said. The Home Guard also participated in the search for the missing boy, according to multiple reports. Police are investigating a suspected serious crime in a park on Södermalm, Stockholm, police spokesperson Daniel Wikdahl said. No suspect has been arrested in the Södermalm case, Wikdahl added. A crane truck has driven into a pedestrian bridge over Huddingevägen (road 226) in Fullersta, causing a total closure, police said. The driver left the scene after the accident, and the incident is classified as hit-and-run, according to police.
A Russian commander has been detained since March 10 on probable cause suspected of using false documents, a serious crime, the prosecutor's office said. The prosecutor has lifted the detention because the suspect's claim of ignorance about the documents being false could not be disproven, senior prosecutor Adrien Combier-Hogg said. The Coast Guard boarded the ship Caffa off Trelleborg in early March, according to TT.
A ship has been fired upon by Iran's Revolutionary Guard northeast of Oman, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The container ship reported that a military vessel from the Revolutionary Guard approached and then started shooting, UKMTO said. The ship's bridge was heavily damaged but no crew were injured, UKMTO added.