Budapest (AFP) – Hungary’s prime minister said on Wednesday that Budapest would phase out gas deliveries to Ukraine, the latest salvo in a bitter 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 neighbour 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.
Ukrainian authorities have said that 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 crucial 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 metres 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 said 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 metres, the Dixi group consultancy said in a report in March, meaning Hungary accounted for 14 percent of Ukraine’s total gas use in 2025.
burs-jza/rl
© 2024 AFP
