European Union leaders will convene in Brussels on Thursday for a summit addressing multiple crises, including the ongoing Iran war, rising energy prices, migration issues, and a stalled 90 billion euro loan package for Ukraine.

The Iran conflict has become a top priority as many EU leaders have resisted U.S. President Donald Trump's requests to deploy military assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil, gas, and fertilizer shipments. Rising energy costs from the war and concerns about potential refugee flows have elevated Middle East issues on the summit agenda.

The European Commission has proposed a "toolbox" of measures to address energy price increases, recognizing that no single policy will effectively address economic disruptions across all 27 member nations, according to a senior European diplomat.

A significant focus will be a dispute with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over the Ukraine loan package. EU leaders agreed to the 90 billion euro ($104 billion) loan at their December summit to help Ukraine address budget shortfalls amid its war with Russia. However, Orbán withdrew support in January after the Druzhba oil pipeline was damaged in what Ukrainian officials described as a Russian drone attack.

Orbán, who faces reelection next month, has launched a media campaign criticizing both Brussels and Kyiv. "If there is no oil, there is no money," he stated Tuesday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has offered EU funding to repair the pipeline and develop alternative fuel routes for Hungary and Slovakia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called any obstruction of the loan "absolutely unfair," emphasizing there is "no alternative" to the funding as Ukraine faces severe budget constraints. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged swift agreement on both the loan and new sanctions against Russia, stating the EU should not accommodate "a single country" blocking progress for domestic political reasons.