Hungary has given Ukraine three days to resume the transit of Russian oil through the “Druzhba” oil pipeline or allow a group of inspectors to inspect the section of the pipeline on Ukrainian territory.
This was stated by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy of Hungary Gabor Čepek, according to the Hungarian media outlet Index.
According to Čepek, a group of experts has been created in Budapest to clarify the circumstances surrounding the oil pipeline. He emphasized that this is the main route for supplying energy to Hungary — the country receives about 5 million tons of oil through it every year.
The official said he had sent a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine demanding that he either restore transit within three working days or allow Hungarian specialists to inspect the incident site. This includes inspecting the substation and making a technical assessment of its condition.
Čepek also stated that Ukraine must agree to this in accordance with its obligations to the EU.
- Transit through “Druzhba” has been suspended since late January 2026, following Russian attacks. The “Naftogaz” CEO Serhiy Koretsky told the FT that the strike caused a massive fire. It took 10 days to put it out, damaging equipment, power cables, transformers, etc.
- Hungary and Slovakia, which received the vast majority of oil through “Druzhba”, claim that Ukraine is blocking the oil route "for political reasons”.
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