Hungary halts gas supplies to Ukraine over oil transit dispute

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that Budapest will gradually stop gas supplies to Ukraine until the transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline is restored. Orban stated this measure is necessary to break the alleged oil blockade and guarantee Hungary's energy security.

Key points

• Orban claimed Ukraine has been blocking the Druzhba oil pipeline for 30 days.
• Gas volumes that remain will be directed to domestic Hungarian storage facilities.
• Orban linked this decision to an alleged Ukrainian attack on the TurkStream pipeline infrastructure.
• Previously, Orban stated Hungary would not support any EU decision favoring Ukraine, including a 90 billion euro loan, until oil transit resumes.
• In 2025, Ukraine imported over 2.9 billion cubic meters of gas (45% of total import) and 42% of its electricity from Hungary.

Why it matters

This action escalates energy tensions between Hungary and Ukraine, directly impacting Ukraine's energy supply and potentially complicating EU financial support for Kyiv.