Kiev is attempting to pressure Budapest into supporting its EU membership bid by halting Russian oil transit, the prime minister has stated
Ukraine’s decision to block Russian oil deliveries to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline is “blatant political blackmail,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared.
Oil transit through the pipeline has been on hold since late January, with Kiev blaming Russia and accusing it of damaging the infrastructure. Moscow has rejected the allegations.
In a Wednesday post on X, Orban suggested that Ukraine can resume supplies but is choosing not to, in order “to pressure us to support their EU membership and hand over funds belonging to Hungarian families.”
Budapest has consistently opposed Kiev’s EU membership bid, arguing that it would pull the bloc into the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“Thankfully, Hungary has a government that doesn’t bow to blackmail,” Orban said, adding that Budapest “has decided to halt diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine” in response to Kiev’s actions.
Another EU member state, Slovakia—also dependent on Russian oil from the Druzhba pipeline—took a similar step on Wednesday. Bratislava has also considered cutting electricity supplies to Ukraine if oil flows do not resume.
Hungary and Slovakia maintain that, as landlocked countries, they cannot fully meet their energy needs without Russian deliveries.
“We have taken all necessary steps to secure our supply and we will not give in,” Orban insisted.
On the same day, Budapest announced that Hungarian energy company MOL has signed its first contracts for Russian oil supplies through Croatia, bypassing Ukrainian territory. Shipments are expected to arrive at a Croatian port in early March and be delivered to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia within the next five to ten days.
When journalists asked about the Druzhba pipeline delivery stoppage on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that “a form of energy blackmail by Ukraine against EU member state Hungary is occurring.” Peskov also said Russian oil companies have been exploring the possibility of increasing supplies to Hungary via Croatia.