The two countries lifted their vetoes after oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline, which was damaged by Russian strikes earlier this year, resumed on Thursday.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen celebrated the news on her way to Cyprus, where she is meeting with European leaders to discuss the energy crisis caused by the war in the Middle East.
“While Russia doubles down on its aggression, we are doubling down on our support to the brave Ukrainian nation enabling Ukraine to defend itself,” von der Leyen wrote on X.
Hungary’s outgoing prime minister, Viktor Orbán, and Slovakia’s Robert Fico, conditioned their support for the loan to the restoration of oil flows through the pipeline.
The restart ends a months-long standoff that blocked the EU’s largest financial package for Kyiv, and which sparked fears the war-battered country would run out of money.
Zelenskyy announced his country would repair the Druzhba pipeline shortly after Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar defeated Orbán in national elections held earlier this month.