Hungary will stop gas supplies to Ukraine until the transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline is restored, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claims. According to Ukrainian Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi, the only consequence of such a move would be a loss of around $1 billion annually for Hungary’s economy, as per UkrInform.
He noted that, as of now, gas exports to Ukraine have not been stopped.
Gas leverage worth billion: Hungary risks its own revenue
“If Prime Minister Orbán decides to halt supplies, the only result will be depriving Hungary and its citizens of over $1 billion in annual revenue earned from gas exports to Ukraine,” Tykhyi stated.
He added that this would be Orbán’s personal political decision, emphasizing that Ukraine has already secured sufficient gas reserves.
“Unlike Hungary, Ukraine has taken steps to diversify energy supplies and is not dependent on the political decisions of neighboring leaders,” he stressed.
Druzhba disruption turns energy into a battleground
On 27 January, transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline was halted following a Russian strike, affecting supplies to Hungary and Slovakia. Ukraine proposed alternative transit routes for non-Russian energy resources, but the proposals were ignored.
Orbán continues to insist on restoring Russian oil supplies, which requires repairing the pipeline.
At the same time, Hungary and Slovakia accuse Ukraine of delaying the restoration of oil transit. Both countries have suspended diesel fuel supplies to Ukraine.
Additionally, Bratislava stopped emergency electricity deliveries to Kyiv, while Budapest is blocking a €90 billion EU aid package for Ukraine.
Earlier, Ukraine exposed a Hungarian spy network hunting air defense positions in western regions. It operated from a diplomatic mission. According to case materials, the foreign spy network was led by a career officer of Hungarian military intelligence, Zoltán Andre.
Investigations established that Andre personally conducted meetings with a local informant from Zakarpattia, who was spying in western Ukraine and later arrested by SBU counterintelligence.
