Orban Calls Ukraine’s Oil Transit Halt ‘Blatant Political Blackmail’
Oil shipments through the pipeline have reportedly been suspended since late January.
Ukrainian officials attribute the disruption to alleged damage caused by Russia, while Moscow denies responsibility.
In a message posted on X on Wednesday, Orban claimed that Ukraine has the ability to restore the flow but is deliberately refraining from doing so “to pressure us to support their EU membership and hand over funds belonging to Hungarian families.”
Budapest has repeatedly opposed Kiev’s European Union accession ambitions, arguing that Ukraine’s entry could entangle the bloc more deeply in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
“Thankfully, Hungary has a government that doesn’t bow to blackmail,” Orban said, adding that Budapest “has decided to stop diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine” in response to the situation.
Slovakia, another EU member state dependent on Russian oil transported via Druzhba, has reportedly taken a similar stance. Authorities in Bratislava have indicated they may also restrict electricity exports to Ukraine if crude deliveries are not resumed.
Both Hungary and Slovakia argue that, as landlocked countries, replacing Russian energy supplies entirely is not feasible.
“We have taken all necessary steps to secure our supply and we will not give in,” Orban insisted.
Meanwhile, Hungary announced that its energy company MOL has finalized initial agreements to receive Russian oil through Croatia, effectively bypassing Ukrainian territory. The shipments are expected to reach a Croatian port in early March before being transported to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia within five to ten days, according to reports.
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