Get you up to speed: Hungary’s Orbán to Consult Slovakia’s Fico on Joint Response to Ukraine
REGIONAL SECURITY ESCALATION
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will consult with Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on a unified response to Ukraine amid ongoing Druzhba pipeline tensions.
EU RESPONSE
According to a Commission spokesperson, the EU is monitoring the situation closely and expects adherence to energy supply agreements amid escalating tensions between Hungary and Ukraine.
CONSULTATIONS
Orbán will consult with Fico on a joint response to the Ukraine oil pipeline dispute, as he pushes for immediate restarting amidst Hungary’s election campaign.
What we know so far
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Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he will hold consultations with his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, on a joint response against Ukraine as the dispute over the Druzhba oil pipeline continues.
Orbán again urged Kyiv to restart the pipeline immediately, which Kyiv says was damaged in a Russian drone hit. Druzhba, which delivers Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, has been offline for a month, impacting transit via Ukraine.
Hungary and Slovakia have accused Ukraine of “lying” about the impact of the attack, which they argue did not affect the core structure of the pipeline, for political reasons in order to force them out of Russian energy. Slovakia and Hungary are the only two countries that still import seaborn Russian crude, providing revenue to Russia.
“We expect the President of Ukraine to fulfil his obligations towards the European Union and its member states and to restart the Friendship oil pipeline,” Orbán said on Friday.
Orbán, once again, attacked the Ukrainian president, accusing him of conspiring against Hungary. The Hungarian leader is presenting the issue as a critical matter for national security in the midst of an aggressive election campaign due April 12.
He is trailing in polls faced with opposition from younger conservative Peter Magyar.
Orbán: Zelenskyy is dodging inspection on the ground
Speaking on Hungary’s national radio broadcaster on Friday, Orbán said Zelenskyy had not responded to his proposal to send experts to assess the pipeline.
In a letter sent Thursday, Orbán told the President of the European Council that a “fact-finding mission” should be deployed on the ground to break the impasse.
“The Ukrainians are not willing to accept a verification, fact-finding mission,” he said. “I think Western Europeans are starting to sober up, and more people are realizing that the Ukrainians are lying. President Zelenskyy is lying; he is not telling the truth.”
Orbán also claimed Hungary was under attack and accused Kyiv of seeking to create economic instability ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections in April.
“Let’s not forget, the Ukrainians blew up Nord Stream. Ukraine is a country that is capable of blowing up the basic infrastructure of Germany’s energy supply and economic operations on the high seas. This is state terrorism,” Orbán said.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was sabotaged in 2022. In 2024, Germany issued arrest warrants for Ukrainian nationals in connection with the investigation.
Orbán considers turning to Croatia’s Adria pipeline
In the same interview, Orbán urged Croatia to allow the transit of Russian oil through the Adria pipeline. The Croatian operator JANAF said deliveries of non-Russian oil are underway and suggested it has capacity to supply Hungary and Slovakia.
Still, deliveries so far have been limited to non-Russian oil. Croatia is analysing whether it can import Russian oil sanctioned by the US and the EU. Until now, it has refused to.
“This is not an opportunity for Croatia, but an obligation, and they cannot afford not to deliver this oil to Hungary,” Orbán said.
“The Croatians have a proposal to make this pipeline a main pipeline, which we are not opposed to. But this requires various developments and tests,” he added.
Orbán added that Russian crude is on average 13 to 20% cheaper than the alternatives for Hungary, and Budapest is not willing to pay above its standard rate.