Budapest Demands Pipeline Repairs Before Approving Sanctions
Hungary has announced it will block the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia until Ukraine restores oil deliveries to the country. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that the €90 billion EU war loan to Ukraine will also be withheld until energy flows resume. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó explained that the sanctions cannot move forward until Ukraine repairs the Druzhba pipeline, which was damaged in a Russian attack.
Szijjártó added that the sanctions package is set for discussion at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday, but Hungary will not support it. The Energy Security Council also examined electricity supplies to Ukraine, which rely heavily on Hungary for nearly half of their imports.
Slovakia and Hungary Pressure Ukraine on Energy
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned that if oil deliveries to Slovakia are not restored by Monday, the national electricity company may stop emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine. Oil shipments to both Slovakia and Hungary were halted at the end of January, following a Russian drone strike on the Druzhba pipeline. Both countries have maintained or even increased their Russian oil and gas imports, receiving temporary exemptions from EU restrictions.
Kyiv Denounces Pressure Tactics as Dangerous
Ukraine has condemned the moves, calling Hungary and Slovakia’s actions “ultimatums and blackmail” that benefit Russian aggression. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said such steps are “provocative, irresponsible, and threaten the energy security of the entire region,” especially as Russian attacks have left much of the country without power during one of its coldest winters.
Orbán, whose government maintains close ties with Moscow, insists that Russian fossil fuels are essential for Hungary’s economy and that switching suppliers would trigger immediate economic collapse — a view questioned by some experts. He has repeatedly threatened to block EU sanctions on Russia and vetoed efforts to provide Ukraine with military and financial support, positioning Hungary as a major hurdle to the bloc’s strategy against Moscow.
