On March 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, commending him for Hungary’s principled stance regarding Ukraine. The Kremlin released a statement detailing the discussion, which also touched on the escalating situation in Iran and its potential impact on the global energy market.
During their exchange, Putin and Orban addressed current issues in Russian-Hungarian relations. The Kremlin noted that Putin acknowledged Hungary’s leadership for supporting a political and diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, emphasizing Hungary’s commitment to a balanced and sovereign approach in international affairs.
The conversation also included discussions about Hungarian citizens who have been mobilized into the Ukrainian armed forces and subsequently captured by Russian forces.
In a related context, a Russian attack on January 27 damaged critical infrastructure in Brody, located in Ukraine’s Lviv region. The Ukrainian gas company reported that this assault impacted an essential facility linked to the Druzhba oil pipeline, which is crucial for transporting Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga stated that the supply of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline was halted due to this attack. He highlighted Hungary’s lack of protest against Russia, suggesting a double standard in their response.
Both Hungary and Slovakia announced a suspension of diesel exports to Ukraine until Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline are restored. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry informed Budapest about the attack and subsequent damages on January 27, asserting that accusations of delays in oil supply were unfounded.
The European Commission expressed a desire for Ukraine to resume operations on the Druzhba pipeline but acknowledged that the decision rests with Ukraine due to the risk of further Russian attacks.
On February 21, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned that Slovakia would halt electricity supplies to Ukraine on February 23 if oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline was not resumed. A similar statement was issued by the Hungarian government.
Ukraine proposed to the European Union the use of the Odessa-Brody pipeline as an alternative for oil supply to the EU in light of the damage to the Druzhba pipeline.
On February 23, Fico confirmed that Slovakia had ceased electricity supplies to Ukraine due to the suspension of oil transit through Druzhba. However, Ukraine’s state energy company, Ukrenergo, stated that this potential cessation would not significantly affect the energy situation in Ukraine’s unified energy system, noting that no official documents regarding the termination of the agreement had been received from Slovakia.
On February 27, Orban announced that Hungary and Slovakia would establish a joint investigative commission to assess the condition of the Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin praised Viktor Orban's support for a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine conflict during a recent phone call. The discussion included the impact of a Russian attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline and ongoing energy supply issues between Hungary, Slovakia, and Ukraine.