Orban Accuses Ukraine of Energy “Blackmail” Over Oil Transit Dispute

By Staff, Agencies

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused Ukraine of engaging in “blatant political blackmail” after the suspension of Russian oil deliveries to Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline.

Oil transit through the pipeline has been halted since late January. Kiev has attributed the disruption to Russia, alleging damage to the infrastructure, while Moscow has rejected those claims.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Orban argued that Ukraine has the ability to restore the flow but is deliberately withholding supplies to pressure Hungary into backing its European Union membership bid and releasing funds he said belong to Hungarian families.

Budapest has repeatedly opposed Ukraine’s accession to the EU, warning that it could draw the bloc further into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

“Thankfully, Hungary has a government that doesn’t bow to blackmail,” Orban said, adding that Hungary would suspend diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine in response.

On the same day, Slovakia, another EU member reliant on Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline, signaled a similar stance. Bratislava has indicated it could halt electricity exports to Ukraine if oil transit is not restored.

Hungary and Slovakia argue that, as landlocked countries, they cannot fully meet their energy needs without Russian supplies.

Orban maintained that Hungary has taken all necessary steps to secure its energy supply and would not yield to pressure.

Also on Wednesday, Budapest announced that Hungarian energy company MOL had signed initial agreements to receive Russian oil through Croatia, circumventing Ukrainian territory. Deliveries are expected to reach a Croatian port in early March before being transported to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia within five to ten days.

Earlier in the week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the situation as “a sort of energy blackmail by Ukraine against an EU member state, Hungary.” He added that Russian oil producers are exploring options to increase shipments to Hungary through Croatia.