Budapest Holds Sanctions Hostage
Hungary has announced it will block the EU’s 20th package of sanctions against Russia until Ukrainian oil deliveries to the country resume. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said no EU war loans or financial aid to Ukraine would go ahead while the supply remains halted. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó added that the sanctions package, scheduled for a meeting of EU foreign ministers, would remain blocked until Ukraine repairs the Druzhba pipeline, damaged by a Russian strike.
Orbán also confirmed that a diesel delivery service, paused earlier this week, would not restart under current conditions.
Energy Supplies and Regional Tensions
Energy exports to Ukraine are a major point of contention. Nearly half of Ukraine’s electricity imports come from Hungary, and Szijjártó warned that stopping those deliveries could negatively affect Hungarian citizens and ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia.
Slovakia has issued a similar warning: Prime Minister Robert Fico said he may order his national electricity operator to cut emergency power supplies to Ukraine if oil shipments are not resumed. Both Hungary and Slovakia suspended deliveries at the end of January, citing a Russian drone attack on the Druzhba pipeline as the reason.
Kyiv Condemns ‘Ultimatums and Blackmail’
Ukraine has strongly condemned the moves, accusing Hungary and Slovakia of “playing into the hands of the aggressor.” The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry described the actions as “provocative and irresponsible,” highlighting the threat to energy security during a winter of widespread power outages caused by Russian attacks.
Orbán, who maintains a close relationship with the Kremlin, argues that Russian fossil fuels are critical to Hungary’s economy and claims switching to alternative energy sources could trigger an economic collapse — a view challenged by some experts. He has repeatedly threatened to block EU sanctions on Moscow and vetoed efforts to provide military and financial aid to Ukraine, positioning Hungary as a persistent obstacle to EU measures targeting Russian energy revenues.
