Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday ordered tighter security at critical energy infrastructure and accused neighboring Ukraine of seeking to disrupt Hungary’s energy system, escalating a dispute over a shutdown of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Hungary and Slovakia — both of which have maintained ties with Moscow despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — blame Kyiv for the outage of the pipeline that carries Russian crude across Ukraine to both countries. Kyiv has not responded to Orban’s latest accusations; it says the pipeline was damaged by Russian drone strikes and that repairs are underway. The EU has assured both countries they face no imminent oil shortage because alternative supplies exist.
Orban, who has stalled a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine and blocked a new round of sanctions on Russia until the pipeline reopens, said the shutdown was for “political, not technical, reasons.” Posting a video to Facebook, he said he had received intelligence of possible further disruption and had ordered “the reinforcement of protection for critical energy infrastructure,” including deploying soldiers and equipment to repel attacks near key facilities. He added police would increase patrols around power plants, distribution stations and control centers. Orban offered no public evidence for his claims.
The right-wing populist has repeatedly accused Ukraine of “blackmail” to force him to drop opposition to measures assisting Kyiv. He also asserted that Ukraine sought to drive up energy prices in Hungary ahead of an April 12 election that he frames as a choice between “war or peace,” saying his rivals would pull Hungary into the Ukrainian conflict. Orban and his Fidesz party trail in many independent polls, with center-right challenger Peter Magyar currently favored.
At a meeting of experts, a European Commission spokesperson said Hungary and Slovakia have alternative oil supplies, notably the Adria pipeline through Croatia. Croatia confirmed that non-Russian crude is being transported via Adria to both countries and that the pipeline has sufficient capacity to cover their needs. Hungary and Slovakia are among the few EU states that have not reduced or halted energy imports from Russia since the invasion and have even increased Russian oil and gas supplies, receiving temporary exemptions from EU rules banning Russian oil imports.
The EU is exploring ways to bypass Hungary’s opposition to the loan for Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would push the loan “one way or the other,” noting multiple options are available. Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said he was “appalled” by Hungary’s stance, calling it a betrayal of the country’s own struggle for freedom. Belgium’s foreign minister, Maxime Prevot, warned that “patience is wearing thin very quickly” in other EU capitals.
Edited by: Sean Sinico