The European Commission is actively consulting with Ukraine regarding the timeline for restoring the operation of the Druzhba pipeline, which was damaged at the end of January. This led to a halt in the supply of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. This was reported by European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, emphasizing that Brussels is in contact with the Ukrainian side regarding repairs and the possible restart of the pipeline.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Discussion of Alternative Routes and Risk Assessment
The European Commission has expressed its readiness to convene an emergency coordination group involving all stakeholders to consider alternative fuel supply routes. Anna-Kaisa Itkonen noted that currently there are no short-term risks to energy security for Hungary and Slovakia, as these countries have 90-day oil reserves.
Hungary and Slovakia, which do not have their own access to seaports, received exemptions from EU sanctions for the import of Russian oil via pipelines, despite the overall EU embargo due to the Kremlin’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
Political Tensions and Expert Assessment
The halt in transit has led to another escalation in relations between Ukraine and some EU member states. Ukraine stated that disruptions occurred on January 27 due to an attack by a Russian drone. At the same time, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused Kyiv on February 15 of deliberately delaying repairs to pressure Budapest into lifting its veto on Ukraine’s European integration. He called such actions “political blackmail.”
“There are no technical or economic grounds for continuing the exemption from sanctions regarding Russian oil in Central Europe. Hungary’s ongoing dependence is a political choice that undermines EU unity and erodes trust in the sanctions regime. A gradual phase-out of Russian crude oil by the end of 2026 is both sensible and necessary for Europe’s long-term energy security,” said Martin Vladimirov, director of the Energy and Climate Program at CSD.
The Bulgarian Center for the Study of Democracy in its report indicates that Hungary has alternatives and is not critically dependent on Russian oil. Experts are calling for a gradual phase-out of supplies from Russia by the end of 2026 to strengthen Europe’s energy independence.
Following the disruptions, Budapest and Bratislava reached out to Croatia for assistance in securing oil supplies. Croatian Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar assured that his country is acting transparently and responsibly regarding the region’s energy security while respecting the interests of Ukrainian partners.
On February 12, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha published a photo that, according to him, shows the burning of infrastructure objects of the Druzhba pipeline. He accused Hungary of failing to respond publicly to the incident for two weeks, as it involves Russia.
Hungary continues to maintain close ties with the Russian Federation in the energy sector, which has drawn criticism from EU and NATO countries. Meanwhile, the European Union plans to completely cease imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027, and Budapest has challenged these intentions in court.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly emphasized that the Hungarian economy is critically dependent on Russian energy resources. He explained this by the country’s geographical location without access to the sea and stated that restrictions on access to Russian oil would have a serious negative impact on the welfare of citizens. Orban insists that energy issues are not political.