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Hungary Threatens To Cut Off Gas To Ukraine In Escalating Druzhba Pipeline Standoff
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Hungary will gradually suspend gas supplies to Ukraine unless oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline is restored, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on March 25.
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Orbán announced the move in a public statement, linking continued gas deliveries directly to the resumption of oil flows via the Druzhba pipeline, which has been halted since late January.
“While Ukraine does not supply oil, they will not receive gas from Hungary,” Orbán stated. “We will gradually stop gas supplies from Hungary to Ukraine, and store the remaining volumes domestically.”
He added that Hungary is increasing its own gas reserves and prioritizing national energy security, claiming that Ukraine had also targeted infrastructure supplying Hungary. “We will protect Hungary’s energy security, maintain protected fuel prices, and reduced gas tariffs,” Orbán said.
Hungary also plans to redirect gas volumes into its own storage facilities instead of Ukrainian ones as part of the broader response.
The dispute centers on the Druzhba pipeline, one of Europe’s largest oil transit routes, which supplies Hungary, Slovakia, and other EU countries via Ukraine. Transit along this route has been suspended for approximately 30 days.
Hungarian and Slovak officials have described the halt as a political decision by Ukraine, citing satellite imagery they claim shows no visible damage to the pipeline.
Ukraine has stated that the disruption followed Russian strikes and has proposed alternative transit routes, including the Odesa–Brody pipeline, to maintain oil supplies to EU partners.
The standoff has already affected broader EU-Ukraine relations. Hungary blocked a proposed €90 billion EU loan package for Ukraine, while Slovakia said it would not provide emergency electricity supplies until Druzhba operations resume.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that while Ukraine does not block repair work on the pipeline, he opposes the restoration of Russian oil transit through the route.
Earlier, Slovakia’s grid operator SEPS ended its emergency electricity agreement with Ukraine, informing Ukrenergo without providing a reason. The move followed remarks by Prime Minister Robert Fico linking energy cooperation to the halted Druzhba oil transit after Russian strikes.
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
