Hungary’s prime minister said on Wednesday that Budapest would phase out gas deliveries to Ukraine, the latest salvo in a feud between the two countries over a damaged oil pipeline.
“To break the oil blockade and guarantee the security of Hungary’s energy supply, new measures are now necessary,” Viktor Orban said in a video posted on Facebook.
Hungary has locked horns with Ukraine over damage to the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline through Ukraine, which has choked the flow of cheap Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukrainian authorities have claimed that the pipeline, which crosses its territory, was damaged by Russian airstrikes on January 27.
Hungary and Slovakia, which have obtained exemptions from the European Union to continue purchasing Russian oil, accuse Kyiv of doing nothing to repair it.
In retaliation, Orban is blocking a European loan of 90 billion euros ($104 billion) to Ukraine.
Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU would help reopen the Druzhba pipeline.
Budapest and Bratislava are also blocking the official adoption of new economic sanctions against Russia, endorsed by other EU countries.
According to analysts at the Hungarian Economic Research Foundation (Oeconomus), Hungary has become one of Ukraine’s main gas suppliers.
“The volume and share of natural gas from Hungary has been steadily increasing since 2022,” rising from 2.5 percent to 14 percent in the first ten months of 2025, the foundation stated in an analysis published in February.
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