Budapest Demands Pipeline Repairs Before Supporting Sanctions
Hungary has announced it will block the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia until Ukrainian oil shipments to the country resume. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said no EU war loans to Ukraine should proceed while Hungary’s energy deliveries remain cut off.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed that the bloc’s new sanctions package, scheduled for adoption by EU foreign ministers on Monday, will not have Hungary’s support. He emphasized that Ukraine must first repair the Druzhba pipeline, damaged in a Russian strike, before any sanctions can move forward.
Orbán also indicated that the halted diesel delivery service would remain suspended until energy flows are restored.
Electricity Supplies Add Pressure
The standoff extends to electricity exports, with almost half of Ukraine’s imported electricity coming from Hungary. Szijjártó warned that stopping these shipments could affect both Hungarian citizens and ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region, and called for caution in handling the issue.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made a similar threat, saying that if oil deliveries to Slovakia are not restored by Monday, the national electricity operator could stop emergency power supplies to Ukraine. Oil shipments to both Hungary and Slovakia were halted at the end of January following a reported Russian drone attack on the Druzhba pipeline.
Kyiv Condemns Pressure Tactics
Ukraine has strongly condemned Hungary and Slovakia for what it calls ultimatums and blackmail over energy supplies. In a statement, Kyiv accused both governments of “playing into the hands of the aggressor” while Russian attacks continue to cripple the country’s energy infrastructure during one of its coldest winters in recent memory.
Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, most European nations have cut or stopped Russian energy imports, yet Hungary and Slovakia have maintained or increased their supplies under temporary EU exemptions. Orbán, who maintains close ties with Moscow, has repeatedly argued that Russian energy is essential to Hungary’s economy and has threatened to block EU sanctions or aid to Ukraine if these supplies are targeted.
