Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó announced on Wednesday that Hungary had suspended diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine and would only resume them once Kyiv had restored oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary.
Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, responded to the announcement from Budapest on Telegram on the same day: “Hungary has been informed from day one exactly why the pipeline was shut down. In such a situation, we find it strange that there has been no statement from the Hungarian side clearly stating that
Russia fired on their favorite oil pipeline.”
In recent days, a heated political debate has erupted over the Druzhba pipeline after oil deliveries on the Hungarian section were interrupted. According to Péter Szijjártó, Ukraine made a political decision to halt transit, which is why Hungary and Slovakia have turned to the European Commission, while MOL has ordered 500,000 tons of Russian oil by sea, that is expected to arrive at the Croatian port in early March. The Hungarian government said that energy and fuel supplies were not at risk,
but that Hungary had suspended diesel supplies to Ukraine until crude oil transport via the pipeline resumed.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Ukraine was blackmailing Hungary and that the government would have to resort to strategic reserves. Meanwhile, Ukraine has increased its fuel imports from other sources, including India, Turkey, and Greece, partly via southern routes, for example with deliveries via the Danube.
Meanwhile, a new twist is emerging in the Central European energy supply crisis. Prime Minister Robert Fico claimed that, according to intelligence information, the Druzhba pipeline had already been repaired, but that the Ukrainian side – according to him, on the decision of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – was not approving the resumption of transit. In this context, the Slovak head of government suggested that Bratislava could even suspend electricity exports to Ukraine as a countermeasure.
The suspension of electricity supplies would hit a sensitive spot,
as Ukraine’s energy supply has been disrupted several times since the start of the war. Slovakia, like Hungary, plays an important role as a transit and supply country in the region.
Slovakia has announced concrete countermeasures following the suspension of oil supplies. Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that the Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava would immediately stop diesel exports to Ukraine and divert its entire capacity to the domestic market. The government is releasing 250,000 tons of oil from the state’s strategic reserves to bridge the expected 20 to 30-day wait until the sea shipments arrive. Robert Fico emphasized that there is no threat of fuel shortages in Slovakia and that internal supplies are secure.
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Via Világgazdaság; Featured photo: Public Domain
The post Hungary and Slovakia Halt Diesel Supplies, Ukraine Could Soon Face Electricity Shortages appeared first on Hungary Today.
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(@RobertFicoSVK) February 18, 2026
