EU Greenlights $106B Loan to Ukraine

0:00It's April 22nd, this is Canada News today, AI-powered stories from your city. The European Union is inches away from green lighting a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine. Now their Russian oil is pumping again through the Dhrushba, pipeline to our Hungary and Slovakia. This cash infusion worth about $106 billion comes right as those two nations dropped their big roadblock to the deal. Pipeline operator Yuka Transnafta confirmed the oil started flowing Wednesday and should hit early Thursday. EU envoys kicked off the approval process, giving all 27 member states just 24 hours to object in writing. If none do, it's a go-by. Thursday afternoon during a summit in Cyprus. Ukraine's economy is hurting bad from the war, and this loan props it up for the next two years to keep fighting Russia. Hungary demanded the oil restart first, while Slovakia held out on new sanctions too, blaming Ukraine for pipeline delays that most EU folks see as, funding Putin's invasion.

1:01After months of standoffs, including blocks over frozen Russian assets, and Hungary's Viktor Orbán backing out of a December deal, things are shifting. Zelensky posted that Ukraine's holding up its end and expects Europe to deliver, calling it a strong signal against Russia. With ore deliveries locked in and sanctions procedures rolling, expect quit knots from the holdouts. This could ramp up pressure on Moscow just as leaders huddle, keeping Ukraine in the fight.