Hungary on Wednesday suspended diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine with immediate effect.
This drastic decision was announced by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó following the government meeting. Hungary is thus responding to what it describes as ongoing pressure tactics by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has not allowed Russian oil to transit via the Druzhba pipeline since the end of January. Szijjártó emphasized Hungary’s key role in supplying Ukraine with energy, including gas and electricity. Until now, Budapest had refrained from retaliatory measures, arguing that severe consequences would primarily affect the already suffering Ukrainian population rather than politicians in Kyiv. The diesel “blockade,” now introduced as a reciprocal measure, nevertheless appears logical from the government’s perspective, as domestic supply must be secured first.
Strategic oil reserves tapped
Shortly before the foreign minister’s announcement, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán officially confirmed via social media that Hungary must tap its strategic oil reserves following the politically driven shutdown of the Druzhba pipeline. The MOL Group had submitted a corresponding request only on Monday and announced that it would organize alternative crude oil deliveries by sea. While the strategic reserve can still cover approximately 95 days, supplies via the Adriatic pipeline could reach the MOL refineries in Százhalombatta and Bratislava in about a month, around mid-March. The Hungarian oil company stated that it initially ordered 500,000 tonnes of crude oil. By comparison, around 4.9 million tonnes were pumped through the Druzhba pipeline last year, plus an additional 400,000 tonnes delivered from Croatia.
Brussels reacts calmly
Together with Slovakia, Hungary has also approached the European Commission to activate an emergency provision allowing the two landlocked Central European countries to purchase Russian tanker oil in a crisis situation. Such deliveries are explicitly exempt from the sanctions regime if the Druzhba pipeline, for whatever reason, ceases to function as a stable supply route. Bureaucrats in Brussels responded in an initial statement with customary calm, arguing that from their perspective no crisis situation currently exists.
Zagreb makes demands
In light of the new situation, the Croatian government has urged Hungary to follow the EU’s sanctions policy and sever Russian energy imports. Zagreb appears to disregard the national sovereignty over the energy mix that still formally applies within the EU. Foreign Minister Szijjártó immediately rejected claims that Russian tanker deliveries would fall under U.S. sanctions, pointing out that an exemption exists for MOL.
In the past, the Orbán government, alongside MOL, has repeatedly criticized Croatia, arguing that Zagreb would prefer to see the Adriatic pipeline assume a monopoly position as soon as possible. The operator Janaf has already quintupled its transit fees to a level that, according to MOL, far exceeds European standards. The European Commission has likewise not sided with Hungary in this dispute, even though doing so might have served the bloc’s diversification efforts.
Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original German text.
