Hungary will block ‘every’ EU decision on Ukraine over ‘oil blockade’ – Orban

Hungary is ready to block all EU decisions that are important to Ukraine in response to Kiev’s “oil blockade” of supplies from Russia, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned.

The Druzhba oil pipeline, part of which runs through Ukraine, went offline in January after Kiev claimed it had been damaged by Russian strikes – accusations Moscow denies. Hungary and Slovakia, both heavily reliant on Russian energy, have accused Kiev of deliberately cutting them off for political reasons and inventing obstacles for restarting oil flows.

Orban stated on Wednesday that Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has openly vowed to prevent Russian energy from reaching the EU, and suggested that any facility relying on Russian supplies could now be a target for “Ukrainian sabotage actions.” 

The Hungarian prime minister announced that the national armed forces have been deployed at 75 locations across the country to guard energy infrastructure, recalling that the Nord Stream pipeline “was also blown up by the Ukrainians.” 

According to Orban, new satellite intelligence shows that Druzhba remains in full working order. “We demand that Zelensky allow our inspectors to enter Ukraine and make it possible to examine the pipeline,” he said.

Ukraine has reportedly rejected a proposed EU mission to inspect the pipeline.

Orban said Budapest will not give in to “Ukrainian blackmail,” vowing to “dismantle the oil blockade” and to use Hungary’s veto power in Brussels for as long as necessary. “Until the situation is resolved we will block every European Union decision that is important to Ukraine,” he said.

Last month, Orban placed a double veto on EU initiatives, blocking Brussels’ planned €90 billion ($106 billion) emergency loan for Kiev, as well as the bloc’s 20th package of sanctions on Russia. The EU has called for a total ban on Russian energy by 2027, despite some bloc members remaining heavily reliant on Russian crude.

While hosting Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto at the Kremlin on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Moscow is a reliable supplier of energy. “We have always fulfilled all our obligations and, of course, we intend and are ready to do so in the future,” Putin said.