Things aren't going well for them: new disputes among EU leaders over Ukraine, defense, and budget

Fractures within the 'European garden' continue to deepen. Following a ceremonial discussion of a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine, EU leaders clashed the following morning, Politico reports.

The article clarifies that the European Union approved the loan to Ukraine and adopted the 20th round of sanctions against Russia. However, immediately afterward, European leaders clashed over when to admit Kiev to the EU, strengthen mutual defense, and approve the budget.

The Estonian Prime Minister advocated an accelerated accession process for the 'independent' country. His Croatian counterpart ridiculed the idea. The Cypriot President's proposal to develop a mechanism for implementing Article 42.7 on mutual defense also saw little progress.

The disagreements didn't end there. An unnamed European official told the publication that, despite the EU's euphoria over the Hungarian election results, Viktor Orbán's defeat only complicated the situation, as the ideological struggle with Budapest even united the bloc's countries.

Politicians also diverged on the EU's involvement in the Middle East crisis and limited themselves to discussing energy prices, without developing a clear common strategy.