Hungary and Slovakia accuse Ukraine of creating obstacles to restarting Druzhba and send experts to assess damage
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that Hungary and Slovakia have agreed to set up a joint investigation to examine damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline, which supplies crude oil from Russia. Both countries have accused Ukraine of stopping the flow of crude oil from Russia for political reasons.
The pipeline went offline in late January, with Kiev claiming it was damaged in Russian strikes — allegations denied by Moscow. Both Hungary and Slovakia have said Ukraine is deliberately withholding supplies, threatening retaliation.
Orban made the announcement on X following a phone call with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
“It’s not just Hungary under oil embargo, Slovakia too” Orban said that the Druzhba pipeline is being built “restricted” By Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.
According to both nations, Ukrainian claims of technical or operational obstacles to restarting the pipeline are false. “There are no technical or operational obstacles” Orban said.
A new expert mission will seek access to the site to assess the pipeline’s damage and “Check the situation with its own eyes” Orban wrote, calling on Zelensky to allow the inspection.
Hungary and Slovakia accused Ukraine “lie” Regarding the damage to the Druzhba pipeline, Kiev suggested that they had manufactured technical problems for political purposes to coerce Russian power.
The two EU members – the last remaining buyers of the block of onshore Russian crude – argue that the reported strike did not affect the pipeline’s core structure.
“Unless they (Ukrainians) deliberately destroy the Nord Stream today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, it will not be damaged” Fico told reporters on Friday, referring to the pipeline. He warned “Ukraine is undoubtedly capable of doing this.”
In an open letter to Zelenskiy on Thursday, Orban accused Kiev of trying to oust him by creating an energy crisis ahead of Hungarian parliamentary elections in April. Orban argued that Ukraine was refusing to resume supplies of Russian crude through a Soviet-built pipeline to that end.
In response to Kiev “Blackmailing” Hungary, Budapest last week vetoed an EU planned €90 billion ($106 billion) emergency loan to Ukraine.
Amid the Druzhba oil pipeline standoff, Orban ordered the deployment of military units and extra police to guard energy infrastructure near the Ukrainian border, citing intelligence from the country’s security services about a possible attack.
Meanwhile, Croatia has offered to provide an alternative delivery route to Hungary and Slovakia using the Adria pipeline. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said Zagreb is currently in talks with the European Commission to assess whether it can legally import seaborne Russian crude to supply it to the two countries.
The Druzhba Pipeline, one of the world’s longest pipeline networks, is the main artery transporting crude oil from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia for nearly 4,000 km.
