Today, the Foreign Affairs Council will hold a meeting at 10 a.m. to discuss the 20th sanctions package against Russia in support of Ukraine. Hungary has vowed to block this unless Kyiv reopens the Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline that transports oil from Russia to both Hungary and Slovakia. It has also threatened to shut off all diesel shipments and refuse any military loan.
Hungary has remained defiant on the issue of the pipeline, as it has secured exemptions from the EU for Russian oil, as has Slovakia. Kyiv has claimed that damage to the pipeline is to blame for shipments being stopped, but Budapest has cried foul, claiming that Zelensky is trying to create an energy crisis to help the opposition party, Tisza, win the upcoming parliamentary election in April.
Yesterday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó posted on X: “At tomorrow’s Foreign Affairs Council, the EU aims to adopt the 20th sanctions package. Hungary will block it. Until Ukraine resumes oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, we will not allow decisions important to Kyiv to move forward.”
At tomorrow’s Foreign Affairs Council, the EU aims to adopt the 20th sanctions package. Hungary will block it. Until Ukraine resumes oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, we will not allow decisions important to Kyiv to move forward.
— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) February 22, 2026Szijjártó confirmed that Hungary’s crude oil supply remains secure, with strategic reserves sufficient for 96 days. However, Hungary also expects Croatia to comply with European rules and allow Russian crude oil to arrive by sea from mid-March.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also posted that Hungary will do what it must to secure the country’s energy supply and will enact “countermeasures” until Druzhba shipments are enabled. “No diesel shipments from Hungary to Ukraine. Refusal of any military loan to Ukraine. No support for sanctions; the 20th sanctions package will be rejected.”
❗️ We will not stand idly by while the Friendship oil pipeline is shut down. We will secure Hungary’s fuel supply and take necessary countermeasures until shipments resume.
Countermeasures:
❌ No diesel shipments from Hungary to Ukraine.
❌ Refusal of any military loan to… pic.twitter.com/piFC51eWZW
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) February 22, 2026Ukraine is also highly reliant on Hungary for electricity, with Budapest’s exports amounting to as much as 40 percent of Kyiv’s power demands.
So far, the Hungarian government has rejected cutting Ukraine’s electricity, citing “humanitarian” reasons.
Ukraine is not allowing the restart of crude oil deliveries to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline. 🇭🇺 Hungary responds accordingly.
At tomorrow’s Foreign Affairs Council, Hungary will veto the 20th sanctions package. This position will remain until oil transit to Hungary resumes.… https://t.co/oG4ugWZ3X6
— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) February 22, 2026“We have also reviewed the issue of electricity exports and decided to proceed with particular caution, as any suspension would primarily affect civilians in Ukraine as well as Hungarian communities in Transcarpathia, and we do not seek to cause additional hardship to them,” wrote Balázs Orbán, the prime minister’s political director. “Our steps are a response to decisions by the Ukrainian political leadership that endanger Hungary’s energy security and attempt to influence the Hungarian elections. Hungary will not be blackmailed.”
