Hungary Says Ukraine Blocking Russian Oil Supplies via Druzhba Pipeline

Hungary’s foreign minister has accused Ukraine of politically obstructing Russian oil supplies to Hungary, despite the key pipeline infrastructure being technically operational.

Péter Szijjártó said Sunday that the Druzhba oil pipeline is fully capable of resuming deliveries, but the continued halt in Russian oil flows to Hungary stems from a “purely political decision” by the Ukrainian leadership.

Commenting on reports that oil shipments to both Hungary and Slovakia had been suspended via Ukrainian territory, Szijjártó stated that the Druzhba pipeline had not been damaged in recent strikes, according to remarks carried by TASS.

“The damage to surrounding infrastructure does not prevent the operation of the pipeline. It is technically ready to resume supply,” he said, adding that any obstruction to its operation is political rather than technical in nature.

Earlier, Szijjártó accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of ordering a halt to Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary, alleging that the move was intended to create difficulties for the Hungarian government ahead of parliamentary elections.

The Druzhba pipeline, one of the largest oil transit networks in Europe, has long been a critical artery for Russian crude exports to Central European states. The latest dispute underscores deepening tensions between Kyiv and Budapest amid the broader geopolitical fallout from the Russia-Ukraine war.