A European Commission spokeswoman on 17 February pressed Ukraine for a timeline to repair the Druzhba oil pipeline, which carries Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia—despite the Commission’s own commitment to ban those imports by 2027.
“We are in contact with Ukraine on the timeline for reparation of the Druzhba oil pipeline.”
“We are in contact with Ukraine on the timeline for reparation of the Druzhba oil pipeline and how quickly this might be up and running,” spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen told journalists in Brussels. She acknowledged there were “no short-term risks to security of supply,” as both countries hold 90 days of strategic reserves.
The pipeline has been out of service since a Russian drone strike on 27 January set Ukrainian pipeline infrastructure on fire and halted all deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted photos of the blaze, pointing out that Budapest “made no protest to Russia” over the strike and “could not even pronounce the word ‘Russia.’”
EU member states must submit oil diversification plans by 1 March—less than two weeks away.
Itkonen’s statement came on the sidelines of the Geneva peace talks—and contradicts the EU’s own direction. The Commission’s REPowerEU roadmap, finalized on 26 January, commits Brussels to proposing legislation in early 2026 to ban Russian oil imports “as soon as possible, but not later than 2027.” EU member states must submit oil diversification plans by 1 March—less than two weeks away.
Oleh Savytskyi, an energy expert of Razom We Stand, a Ukrainian clean energy advocacy group, told Euromaidan Press the push appeared to come “from a mid-level official with unclear mandate.”
The exemption has no justification
One day before Itkonen spoke, the Center for the Study of Democracy published a report finding “no technical or economic grounds” for the exemption. Hungary increased its Russian crude dependence from 61% before the full-scale invasion to 92% in 2025—turning a temporary exemption into what CSD called a “permanent loophole.”
“A barrel bought from Russia may appear cheaper to some countries, but helps fund war and attacks on Ukrainian people.”
Hungary imported 4.9 million tonnes via Druzhba last year but only 400,000 via the alternative Adria pipeline from Croatia—a 12-to-1 ratio. MOL, Hungary’s dominant oil and gas company, acknowledged that Adria could replace around 80% of its crude intake.
When Hungary asked Croatia to transit Russian oil via Adria, Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar refused: “A barrel bought from Russia may appear cheaper to some countries, but helps fund war and attacks on Ukrainian people.”
Hungary and Slovakia retaliate
Rather than diversifying, Budapest and Bratislava turned the disruption against Kyiv.
Hungary halted diesel supplies to Ukraine on 18 February. “Deliveries will not resume until the Ukrainians restart oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline,” Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after a cabinet meeting, calling Ukraine’s position “pure political blackmail.”
“I wonder what ethnic Hungarians defending Ukraine think of this shameless statement.”
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He said MOL had ordered 500,000 tonnes of Russian crude for sea delivery to Croatia, with first batches expected by early March. In a separate interview with CNN Türk, Szijjártó called it “a big lie” that Ukraine defends Europe from Russian aggression.
Sybiha responded: “I wonder what ethnic Hungarians defending Ukraine think of this shameless statement. Ukraine is buying time for Europe by not letting Russian tanks drive through European streets as they did in 1956 in Budapest.”
“If Zelenskyy feels that this has no value, then we can abandon cooperation in the field of electricity supplies.”
Slovakia declared a state of oil emergency the same day. Prime Minister Robert Fico told a press conference broadcast by TASR that Slovnaft, the country’s refinery, would halt all exports, including diesel to Ukraine.
He threatened to cut electricity to Kyiv, saying: “If Zelenskyy feels that this has no value, then we can abandon cooperation in the field of electricity supplies.” On 15 February, Fico told Reuters the pipeline halt was “political blackmail toward Hungary.” Reuters noted he provided no evidence.
Ready-made ammunition
Pro-Kremlin media seized on Itkonen’s remarks within hours. Channels associated with propagandist Sergei Mardan ran her statement under headlines like “EU demands Ukraine repair Druzhba pipeline,” framing it as proof that Europe needs Russian energy and Ukraine is the obstacle.
Whether Itkonen’s statement reflects bureaucratic inertia or poor coordination, the result was the same: the EU pressed Ukraine to restore Russian oil flows.
Hungary holds parliamentary elections in April. Whether Itkonen’s statement reflects bureaucratic inertia or poor coordination, the result was the same: the EU pressed Ukraine to restore Russian oil flows on the sidelines of peace talks. At the same time, two member states used the disruption to cut fuel to a country under Russian bombardment.
