Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Georgiy Tikhiy has accused Hungary of politicizing the repair of the Druzhba oil pipeline. His comments were shared on the official social media account of the ministry.
Tikhiy stated that Ukraine has not received any condemnation from Hungary regarding the damage inflicted on the Druzhba pipeline by a Russian strike. He criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for focusing on Ukraine instead of explaining to Hungarians why their country has failed to diversify its energy sources.
“Thus, Hungary is politicizing this issue, turning it into a political pretext and making demands on Ukraine, which we find absurd. Ukraine is facing massive terror, aerial terror from Russia,” Tikhiy remarked.
The spokesperson highlighted that ongoing Russian attacks are causing daily destruction to Ukrainian infrastructure. He noted that in addition to the damage to Druzhba, other Ukrainian pipelines, including Odesa-Brody, have also been affected.
“Ukraine is repairing all of this. However, we do not have unlimited resources. We are engaged in a full-scale war, which Hungary seems to ignore,” he added.
On January 27, a Russian attack in Brody, Lviv region, damaged critical infrastructure linked to the Druzhba pipeline, leading to a fire and halting operations at the site. According to reports, the pipeline continues to function, transporting Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga announced on February 12 that oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended since the January attack. He also mentioned that Budapest is preparing to file complaints about transit issues.
“Hungary has not expressed any protest to Russia regarding this matter. They couldn’t even bring themselves to say the word ‘Russia.’ This is a clear example of double standards,” Sybiga stated.
Both the Hungarian and Slovak governments have announced a halt to diesel exports to Ukraine until Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline are restored.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry clarified that Kyiv informed Budapest about the Russian attack on the Druzhba pipeline and the resulting damage on January 27, asserting that accusations of delays in supplies from Ukraine are illogical.
The European Commission has indicated a desire for Ukraine to resume operations of the Druzhba pipeline, but emphasized that the decision rests with Ukraine due to the risk of further Russian attacks.
On February 21, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that Slovakia would cease electricity exports to Ukraine on February 23 if oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline is not restored. Hungary made a similar announcement.
Ukraine has proposed to the European Union the use of the Odesa-Brody pipeline as an alternative for oil supplies to the EU while the Druzhba pipeline is under repair.
On February 27, Orban revealed that Hungary and Slovakia are forming a joint investigative commission to assess the condition of the Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine.
On March 11, reports emerged that a Hungarian delegation, led by Secretary of State Gabor Chepek, had arrived in Ukraine to evaluate the state of the Druzhba pipeline and discuss the restoration of oil transit to Hungary. However, President Zelensky stated he was unaware of the delegation’s arrival, as no arrangements had been made with the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
On March 17, Zelensky confirmed in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa that Ukraine agreed to the EU’s proposal for financial and technical assistance to repair the Druzhba pipeline.
On March 18, Tikhiy commented on the possibility of allowing EU representatives access to the damaged section of the Druzhba pipeline, stressing that access to strategic facilities is managed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
On the same day, an EU official stated that a technical team from the European Union is already in Ukraine and awaiting access to the Druzhba pipeline, which was damaged in the Russian attack.
Tensions between Ukraine and Hungary escalate as Ukraine accuses Hungary of politicizing the repair of the Druzhba oil pipeline. Ongoing Russian attacks have severely impacted Ukrainian infrastructure, prompting calls for international support and cooperation.