"Hungary will not become colony of Ukraine," — Orbán
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed that Ukraine has allegedly been blackmailing Hungary for 19 days over oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline and called on Hungarians to respond by participating in the Peace Marches.
According to Censor.NET, this is mentioned in Orbán’s video message, which was posted on his Facebook page.
"President Zelenskyy continues to keep the oil pipeline closed, even though he knows it is vital for Hungary and Slovakia. Our experts have been in Kyiv for several days now, but they still haven’t been allowed access to the pipeline," Orban said.
He also stated that the world is currently unable to overcome the oil crisis caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
According to Orbán, cheap Russian oil could solve the problem, but the European Union continues to reject this option.
The Hungarian prime minister emphasized that despite the difficult situation on the energy market, Brussels is not changing its stance on restricting imports of Russian energy resources.
"The Americans have already taken action and begun lifting sanctions. But in Brussels, the hysteria continues. The European Commission and the German chancellor are maintaining restrictions on Russian oil," he said.
Orbán also spoke about the Peace March scheduled for Sunday, urging everyone to take part in it.
"Tomorrow is the Peace March. I ask everyone to join us. Let’s stand up against the blackmailing of Ukraine. Hungary will not be a Ukrainian colony; Zelenskyy will not be in charge here," Orbán declared.
The conflict between Ukraine and Hungary over the Druzhba oil pipeline
The Druzhba oil pipeline is one of the world’s largest pipelines, transporting Russian oil to European countries. The oil travels through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia. This route is very important for Hungary, as a significant portion of its oil supply comes via this route.
- In 2025–2026, the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline was halted several times.
- In January 2026, a section of the oil pipeline on Ukrainian territory was damaged.
The conflict between Ukraine and Hungary escalated in 2026 following the suspension of transit.
The Hungarian government is demanding that Ukraine resume transit or allow Hungarian inspectors access to the pipeline, and has even given Ukraine a few days to comply. Orbán accused Ukraine of blocking supplies and even leveled accusations of sabotage. Ukraine claims the damage was caused by the war and rejects the political accusations.
Kyiv has called Hungary's stance blackmail, as Budapest is using the oil issue to exert pressure on EU political matters.
Hungary and Slovakia have threatened to take legal action and block EU decisions related to support for Ukraine.
Ukraine proposed an alternative: transporting oil via the Odesa-Brody pipeline.
