Hungary has halted diesel fuel exports to Ukraine until the transit of oil to Hungary resumes, government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács wrote on X.
“Hungary’s diesel exports to Ukraine have stopped - and won’t restart until Ukraine restores oil transit to Hungary,” Kovács stated, calling the suspension “a purely political move.”
He claimed that Ukraine unilaterally stopped oil supplies on January 27, although restarting the pipeline is technically possible. According to the Hungarian government, the country has strategic oil reserves for 96 days, as well as 500,000 tons of Russian oil ordered by the company MOL, which could be delivered by sea by mid-March.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó wrote that
“Zelensky has decided not to restart oil transit for political reasons, deliberately putting Hungary’s energy supply at risk, while we play an essential role in Ukraine’s energy security. A large part of Ukraine’s gas, electricity and diesel imports arrives through or from Hungary.”
Szijjártó added that Hungary cannot be expected to guarantee another country’s energy security while its own supplies are at risk.
“Energy cooperation must be mutual and based on respect, not pressure,” he wrote.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also accused Ukraine of exerting pressure.
“Ukraine is blackmailing Hungary. The Druzhba pipeline has stopped supplies, forcing us to use strategic reserves. This pressure aims to draw Hungary into a pro-war coalition. We are under enormous pressure to join the war. We continue to resist,” Orbán wrote on X.
He added that Budapest is allegedly under pressure not only from Kyiv but also from Brussels, “which resort to coarse and insidious methods.”
Hungary can receive oil via two pipeline routes: Druzhba (through Ukraine), the main pipeline, and Adria (Croatia) as a backup. Last year, Hungary imported about 4.9 million tons through Druzhba and 400,000 tons through Adria.
