Budapest Blocks Sanctions Until Supplies Resume
Hungary has announced it will prevent the EU from adopting its 20th package of sanctions against Russia until oil shipments to the country are restored. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told the Energy Security Council that no EU war loans or financial aid should proceed for Ukraine while Hungary’s energy supply remains cut off.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed the stance, adding that the sanctions package scheduled for approval by EU foreign ministers on Monday will not gain Hungary’s support. The government insists Ukraine must repair the Druzhba pipeline, damaged in a Russian strike, and resume oil deliveries before any sanction measures move forward.
Electricity Tensions Add to Dispute
The issue isn’t limited to oil. Almost half of Ukraine’s imported electricity comes from Hungary, and Szijjártó warned that halting power could affect Hungarian citizens and ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico issued a similar warning, stating that if oil flows to Slovakia aren’t restored by Monday, he may stop emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine. Oil deliveries to both countries have been suspended since late January, following a reported Russian drone attack on the Druzhba pipeline.
Kyiv Condemns Pressure Tactics
Ukraine has strongly rejected what it calls ultimatums and blackmail from Hungary and Slovakia. In a statement, Kyiv accused the two governments of undermining regional energy security amid ongoing Russian missile and drone strikes that have crippled its power grid during one of the coldest winters in recent memory.
Hungary, under Viktor Orbán, maintains a close relationship with Moscow and argues that Russian energy is vital for its economy, warning that cutting off supplies would cause immediate economic harm — a claim disputed by some experts. Orbán has repeatedly threatened to block EU sanctions on Russian energy, criticized attempts to limit Russia’s war revenues, and vetoed EU efforts to provide military or financial aid to Ukraine.
