The standoff over energy flows deepened on Wednesday when Hungary said it would curb natural gas shipments to Ukraine unless Russian oil deliveries restart through the Druzhba pipeline, a route that carries oil and, by extension, supports broader wartime bargaining over transit in central Europe.
Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, tied Hungary’s gas decision to a halt in Russian oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia that he said has lasted nearly two months. He said the situation continues because Russian oil is not moving as deliveries have stopped, which he presented as a condition for restoring gas flows to Ukraine, where the pipeline route crosses territory involved in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukrainian officials, in contrast, said Russian drone attacks damaged the pipeline and that continued strikes risk the lives of technicians working to repair it. The episode has turned into a wider dispute between the neighboring governments, with both Hungary and Slovakia accusing Ukraine of deliberately holding up Russian deliveries.
Orban amplified the message in a video posted on social media. In it, he called the Russian oil stoppage “Ukrainian blackmail,” and said: “As long as Ukraine does not supply oil, it will not receive gas from Hungary.” He added that Hungary would redirect the gas to fill its own reserves.
There was no immediate comment from Kyiv, and a Hungarian government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press. The Hungarian gas decision was described by Orban as gradual, but it set a clear linkage between oil deliveries and gas shipments amid the continuing war and infrastructure disruptions.
The gas transit route through Hungary plays a key role in fulfilling Ukraine’s energy needs during the war, now in its fourth year. According to the Ukrainian energy consultancy EXPRO, Ukraine imported around 45% of its gas needs through Hungary last year, and that share fell to 38% by January.
Orban’s announcement followed other steps taken by Hungary in response to the interruptions in Russian oil flows. Last week, he blocked an EU loan to Ukraine totaling 90 billion euros ($106 billion) over the disruptions and vowed to veto further pro-Ukraine EU decisions until oil flows resume. Hungary’s leader has also previously halted diesel shipments to Ukraine and vetoed a new round of EU sanctions against Russia.
As he faces an election next month, Orban has escalated a campaign critical of Ukraine, calling the country Hungary’s “enemy” and accusing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of trying to provoke an energy crisis to influence the April 12 vote. Hungary has also deployed military forces to key energy infrastructure sites, accusing Ukraine of plotting disruptions without providing evidence.
The dispute plays out alongside an EU policy exception that allows Hungary and Slovakia to keep importing Russian oil. Both countries have received a temporary exemption from a European Union policy prohibiting Russian oil imports since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine in February 2022.