UKRAINE PERSPECTIVE

Kyiv greeted the breakthrough with relief laced with bitterness. Zelensky posted that the 90-billion-euro support package was 'effectively underway,' adding that the unblocking was 'the right signal under the current circumstances.' But the diplomatic phrasing barely disguised the sting. Ukraine had to repair a pipeline damaged by a Russian strike so that Hungary would finally lift its veto -- meaning Kyiv had to guarantee the flow of Russian oil to an EU member state to secure the money it needs to survive the very war that oil bankrolls. Ukrainska Pravda stressed that the EU had 'not yet formally approved' the 90 billion, with Zelensky drawing a sharp line between political agreement and actual disbursement. Ukrainian media also highlighted that the 20th sanctions package fell short: no full ban on maritime services for Russian tankers, which Kyiv had demanded. Ukraine is no longer counting sanctions packages -- it is measuring their quality. Zelensky said so explicitly: 'It is not about the number of packages, but their quality.' The Druzhba pipeline, repaired by Ukrainian crews, will deliver oil to Slovakia the following day. The irony is structural: Ukraine is funding its own defense by facilitating the energy revenue of its enemy's enablers.