Dhaka, March 20 -- European Union leaders failed to convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday to lift his blockade on a 90-billion-euro ($103 billion) EU loan to help Ukraine keep up its fight against Russia's invasion.

After a summit in Brussels, several leaders voiced deep frustration with Orban, who has cited a dispute over a war-damaged pipeline to justify blocking the implementation of the loan agreed back in December.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Orban - who maintains cordial ties with Russia and is running for re-election next month - of an act of "gross disloyalty" that damaged the EU's reputation and ability to act.

European Council President Antonio Costa, the chair of the summit, declared: "A dea...