Hungary has accused Ukraine of refusing to attend a planned trilateral meeting on energy security, as tensions with Kyiv escalated further during talks on Monday among EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said a consultation with Slovak and Ukrainian energy ministers collapsed after the Ukrainian delegation declined to participate at the last moment. According to him, Hungarian officials had already spent several days in Kyiv attempting to arrange discussions over restarting the Druzhba pipeline, but their requests for meetings were rejected, and European Union inspectors were also denied access to the relevant facilities.
“It has become really obvious that there is no physical reason for the oil supply not to be restarted to Hungary on the Druzhba pipeline,” Szijjártó said, describing the halt in deliveries as “a purely political decision.”
A trilateral consultation with the Slovak and Ukrainian energy ministers was scheduled for today, but the Ukrainian side ultimately refused to take part.
This comes after our Energy Ministry delegation spent three and a half days in Kyiv seeking dialogue.
All meeting… pic.twitter.com/khOhWaGpkN
— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) March 16, 2026Budapest insists that Ukraine is deliberately blocking the flow of oil to Hungary despite the Druzhba pipeline’s infrastructure being technically ready to operate. Szijjártó warned that if Ukraine continued what he described as an “oil blockade,” Hungary could not be expected to support further EU decisions in favor of Kyiv.
“If a country keeps us under an oil blockade, then that country cannot expect us to support any decisions here in Brussels that benefit them,” he said.
‼️OUTRAGEOUS: after Ukraine, now Germany is threatening Hungary‼️
At today’s meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Germany’s foreign minister openly warned Hungary of “serious consequences” if we refuse to give up defending our national interests against Ukraine.
What…
— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) March 16, 2026The row unfolded alongside a separate confrontation with Germany. Balázs Orbán, political director to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, said Berlin had warned Hungary of “serious consequences” during a meeting of EU foreign ministers if Budapest continued to oppose new sanctions and financial support for Ukraine.
“What they are demanding is that Hungary swallow Ukraine’s oil blockade, send more money to Kyiv, and immediately approve new sanctions,” he wrote on social media. “In other words: abandon our national interests.”
🇸🇰🤝🇭🇺 @FM_Szijjarto announced that Hungary and Slovakia will build a new gasoline and diesel pipeline connecting the refineries in Bratislava and Százhalombatta, aiming to strengthen regional energy security and reduce Ukraine’s leverage.
⛽ The planned 127-kilometer pipeline… pic.twitter.com/pc05HY1Hxh
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) March 16, 2026At the same time, Hungary and Slovakia announced plans to build a new fuel pipeline linking refineries in Bratislava and Százhalombatta. The proposed 127-kilometer connection would transport roughly 1.5 million tons of refined oil products each year, including gasoline and diesel.
Hungarian officials say the project, agreed with Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková, is intended to strengthen regional energy security and reduce dependence on transit routes through Ukraine. The pipeline is expected to be completed in the first half of next year.
Relations between Budapest and Kyiv have deteriorated sharply in recent months as Hungary has repeatedly blocked EU initiatives related to Ukraine. Hungarian officials have also pointed to remarks from Ukrainian political figures directed at Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, including comments interpreted in Budapest as threats over Hungary’s stance on EU financial support for Kyiv.
In one instance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was reported as saying he could provide Orbán’s address to the Ukrainian armed forces so they could visit him and “speak to him in their own language” over Hungary’s opposition to a proposed €90 billion EU loan package.
More recently, Hryhoriy Omelchenko, a former Ukrainian MP and former officer of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), warned that Orbán should reconsider his position toward Kyiv.
🇸🇰🤝🇭🇺 @FM_Szijjarto announced that Hungary and Slovakia will build a new gasoline and diesel pipeline connecting the refineries in Bratislava and Százhalombatta, aiming to strengthen regional energy security and reduce Ukraine’s leverage.
⛽ The planned 127-kilometer pipeline… pic.twitter.com/pc05HY1Hxh
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) March 16, 2026“He knows that after losing power, prison awaits him, or perhaps something worse,” Omelchenko said. “We don’t need Orbán’s address. We know where he lives, where he sleeps at night, where he drinks his wine, and who he meets.”
He added that if Orbán did not change what he described as an “anti-Ukrainian position,” the Hungarian prime minister should remember that “karma never forgives crimes.”
