Oil flows via the Druzhba pipeline from Russia to Hungary have been halted, following a Ukrainian attack on a transformer station, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday.
“Ukraine has attacked again the oil pipeline to Hungary, which has halted petroleum transportation to our country,” Szijjarto posted on Facebook.
This is yet another attack against Hungary’s energy security and it is “outrageous and unacceptable,” the official added.
The Druzhba pipeline carries Russian crude to Central Europe. The pipeline is a key artery of oil supply from Russia to Europe, with two branches – a northern one via Belarus that supplies Belarus, Poland, Germany, Latvia, and Lithuania, and a southern one passing through Ukraine and sending oil to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Croatia.
Russian crude oil flows via pipeline are not subject to sanctions or embargoes, as landlocked central European countries don’t have much choice.
While the Czech Republic earlier this year became independent from Russian deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline, the first time ever, Hungary has continued to rely on the Soviet-era infrastructure for most of its crude oil supply.
Hungary has also kept close ties with Russia since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hungarian leaders, including Prime Minister Viktor Orban, have met with Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials several times since 2022 in defiance of the EU’s position to isolate and heap sanctions on Russia.
In the latest incident, Hungary blamed Ukraine for the attack on what it says is its energy security.
Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin has told Hungary’s Szijjarto that Russian engineers are trying to fix the transformer station issue, but it is unclear when oil flows will resume, the Hungarian official said.
The Ukrainian attack and the halt to pipeline flows to Hungary come hours ahead of a planned meeting at the White House on Monday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will be accompanied by the most influential European leaders.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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