Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has enraged his fellow leaders by backtracking on the deal they reached in December to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion loan. The pent-up exasperation will be laid bare on Thursday.

EU leaders are meeting in Brussels for a summit that comes with an agenda so packed that the high-level talks could very well stretch into Friday.

The most contentious topics are Hungary's unyielding veto on the €90 billion loan for Ukraine, the spiralling consequences from the war in the Middle East and the stubbornly high energy prices that continue to weigh down the European economy.

The 27 heads of state and goverment will also address competitiveness, the single market, trade, security, migration, the multilateral system and the next EU budget.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to address the room via video conference. European Central Bank Christine Lagarde and United Nations Secretary General António Guterres will join different parts of the debate in person.(Euronews, 2026-03-19)