Hungary said Friday it will use “every means” to resolve an escalating row with Kyiv over stalled Russian oil supplies to Budapest and Bratislava. Tensions have flared over damage to the Druzhba pipeline that delivers Russian crude to Central Europe. Hungary and Slovakia, both EU members, accuse Kyiv of dragging out repairs for political reasons — a claim Ukraine denies.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused Kyiv of blackmail over oil deliveries. “We have stopped gasoline deliveries to Ukraine, we are not delivering diesel either, we are still delivering electricity, and we will also stop things passing through Hungary, things that are important to Ukraine, until we receive Ukraine’s approval for oil deliveries,” Orbán told state radio.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the pipeline needed another four to six weeks to become operational. Naftogaz head Sergiy Koretsky said repair crews were working on a bypass around damaged sections but warned that the threat of Russian attacks was complicating repairs.
Separately, Hungary announced it was expelling seven detained Ukrainians on suspicion of money laundering. Kyiv accused Budapest of taking “hostage” seven employees of the state-owned Oschadbank and advised its nationals against traveling to Hungary. The detained Ukrainians were operating two bank cars transiting between Austria and Ukraine; GPS data reportedly showed the cars in central Budapest near a Hungarian law enforcement agency. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the arrests “state terrorism and racketeering.”
Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration confirmed the detentions, including a former secret service general, and said it was conducting criminal proceedings on suspicion of money laundering in cooperation with the Counter-Terrorism Center. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said all seven would be expelled. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó demanded answers from Kyiv regarding large cash shipments passing through Hungary that he said raised questions about a possible link to a “Ukrainian war mafia.”
Relations between Hungary and Ukraine have been strained for years, as Orbán has maintained a conciliatory stance toward Russia despite its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ties have further deteriorated as Orbán stepped up political attacks on Ukraine ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary vote on April 12. He has opposed several EU aid packages and sanctions on Russia, and recently blocked a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine while demanding the pipeline be reopened first.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar