Budapest (AFP) – Hungary’s prime minister said Wednesday that Budapest would phase out gas deliveries to Ukraine, the latest salvo in the feud between the two countries over a damaged pipeline transporting Russian oil. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country is a major gas supplier to Ukraine, has accused Kyiv of delaying repairs on the pipeline, effectively stopping the flow of Russian oil to Hungary and its neighbor Slovakia.
“To break the oil blockade and guarantee the security of Hungary’s energy supply, new measures are now necessary,” Orban said in a video posted on Facebook. “We are gradually halting gas shipments from Hungary to Ukraine and storing the gas that remains here domestically. Until Ukraine supplies oil, it will receive no gas from Hungary,” he added.
Ukraine said Hungary had not yet halted deliveries and that the only impact would be felt by Budapest from the lost revenue from gas sales. “Ukraine knows where to obtain the required gas volumes even in the event that Hungary stops its supplies,” Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy told reporters. Ukrainian officials insist the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline, which crosses its territory, was damaged by Russian airstrikes on January 27.
Hungary and Slovakia, which have obtained exemptions from the European Union to continue purchasing Russian oil, accuse Kyiv of dragging their feet to repair it. In retaliation, Orban — who is facing parliamentary elections next month — is blocking a European loan of 90 billion euros ($104 billion) to Ukraine. Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU would help reopen the Druzhba pipeline.
Budapest and Bratislava are also blocking the official adoption of new economic sanctions against Russia, endorsed by other EU countries. According to analysts at the pro-government Hungarian Economic Research Foundation (Oeconomus), Hungary has become one of Ukraine’s main gas suppliers.
Ukraine imported 2.94 billion cubic meters of gas from Hungary in 2025, the top source for Ukrainian imports, accounting for 45.5 percent of all Ukrainian imports, Ukrainian consultancy ExPro said in a report. ExPro stated separately that Ukraine’s imports from Hungary were already slightly dropping as a share in 2026, down to 34 percent of Ukraine’s import mix in March 2026. Ukraine’s total gas consumption in 2025 was 21 billion cubic meters, the Dixi group consultancy said in a report in March, meaning Hungary accounted for 14 percent of Ukraine’s total gas use in 2025.
© 2024 AFP
