France, April 23 -- Diplomats said the definitive sign-off should come by Thursday as Hungary waits for Russian oil to arrive through the Druzhba pipeline after Ukraine said operations had restarted.

The feud over the pipeline pitted Hungary's nationalist premier Viktor Orban against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stalling the vitally needed funds for Kyiv.

Resolving the standoff will allow Brussels to start paying out the loan in the coming months. Ukraine needs the money to plug its budget, four years after Moscow's invasion.

"Implementation of our agreement with the European Union to unblock a €90 billion support package for Ukraine over two years is now effectively underway," Zelensky, who is expected to join a summi...