Hungary Links Sanctions to Energy Security
Hungary has made clear it will not support the European Union’s latest sanctions package against Russia until oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline are restored. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said after meeting the country’s Energy Security Council that no further financial assistance — including the EU’s planned €90 billion war loan — should go to Ukraine while Hungary’s oil supply remains cut off.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed that Budapest will block the 20th round of EU sanctions, expected to be discussed by foreign ministers on Monday. He said Hungary’s position will not change until Ukraine repairs the Druzhba pipeline, which Kyiv says was damaged in a Russian drone strike, and resumes shipments.
Orbán also stated that a diesel delivery service halted earlier this week would not restart under current conditions.
Electricity Supplies Add to Tensions
Energy concerns go beyond oil. Nearly half of Ukraine’s electricity imports currently come from Hungary, a fact Szijjártó said requires careful consideration. He warned that any disruption could affect Hungarian citizens as well as ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region.
Slovakia has echoed similar warnings. Prime Minister Robert Fico said that if oil flows to Slovakia are not restored, he may instruct the national grid operator to suspend emergency electricity exports to Ukraine. Oil deliveries to both Hungary and Slovakia reportedly stopped at the end of January.
Kyiv Fires Back at “Ultimatums”
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned what it described as “ultimatums and blackmail” from Hungary and Slovakia, accusing both governments of undermining regional energy security at a time when Russian strikes have battered Ukraine’s power grid during one of the coldest winters in recent years.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, most European countries have sharply reduced or completely ended their reliance on Russian energy. Hungary and Slovakia, however, secured temporary exemptions from the EU’s oil import ban and have continued to rely heavily on Russian supplies.
Orbán, often viewed as the EU leader closest to the Kremlin, has repeatedly argued that Russian fossil fuels are essential to Hungary’s economy and that a rapid shift away would cause severe economic damage — a claim disputed by some analysts. He has frequently threatened to block EU sanctions targeting Moscow’s energy revenues and has previously vetoed efforts to expand military and financial support for Ukraine.
