Hungary has announced its intention to block the adoption of the 20th package of European Union sanctions against the Russian Federation until Ukraine resumes the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia. This was stated by Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who emphasized that the relevant decision will be announced at the next meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Budapest’s Position and Ukraine’s Reaction
According to Szijjarto, Budapest will not allow progress on decisions that it deems important for Ukraine until oil supplies are restored.
“As long as Ukraine does not resume the transit of oil to Hungary and Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline, we will not allow progress on the approval of decisions that are important for Kyiv”
He also added that Hungary is blocking a €90 billion EU loan intended for Ukraine until transit through the Druzhba is restored. Szijjarto accused Ukraine of blackmail, claiming that the suspension of oil transit occurred in coordination with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition to create fuel supply disruptions ahead of the parliamentary elections in Hungary scheduled for April 12.
Kyiv has not yet officially commented on Hungary’s latest statements. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry previously reported that the governments of Hungary and Slovakia were informed about the consequences of Russian attacks on the Druzhba pipeline infrastructure, and repair work on the pipeline is ongoing. Ukraine has also proposed alternative routes for supplying non-Russian oil to these countries.
The Situation Surrounding the Druzhba Pipeline and the Positions of Neighboring Countries
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed his intention to stop electricity supplies to Ukraine if oil transit through the Druzhba is not restored. Citing Slovak intelligence, he stated that the pipeline repairs are complete, but Kyiv is deliberately delaying the resumption of oil flow to influence Hungary’s position on vetoing Ukraine’s EU accession, calling it “political blackmail.”
At the same time, Ukrainian officials explain the disruptions as a result of attacks by Russian drones. As noted by energy expert Mykhailo Gonchar, president of the Globalist Strategy XXI Center, on the night of January 27, 2026, Russia struck a production and dispatch station of Ukrtransnafta in Brody, which is key to the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba. The attack caused a massive fire that lasted for 10 days and led to the suspension of Russian oil transit.
Hungary remains dependent on Russian energy, which has been repeatedly criticized by EU and NATO countries, especially in light of the European Union’s plans to completely abandon imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027. Hungary is contesting these plans in court.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, known for his close ties to the Kremlin, has repeatedly emphasized that Russian energy is “vital” for his country and criticized the EU’s tough policy towards Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.