BUDAPEST — Hungary and Slovakia threatened on February 20–21, 2026, to withhold key support to Ukraine unless oil flows to their countries via the Druzhba pipeline resume, escalating a dispute triggered by an outage Ukrainian officials said began after a Russian drone strike on January 27, 2026.
The warnings target both European Union financing for Kyiv and emergency electricity supplies from Slovakia, tying domestic energy security to Ukraine’s wartime transit infrastructure. The standoff centers on a Soviet-era pipeline that carries Russian crude across Ukrainian territory into Central Europe.
EU funding leverage and a stalled pipeline
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Hungary would block a planned 90-billion-euro ($106-billion) European Union loan to Ukraine until oil shipments through Druzhba restart. The facility is part of a broader EU financial-assistance framework that requires unanimous backing from member states, giving Budapest an effective veto over disbursements.
In a video posted on February 20, he accused Ukraine of “blackmailing” Hungary by not restarting flows.
“We will not give in to this blackmail. We do not support Ukraine’s war, we will not pay for it.”
He also said Hungary would obstruct EU decisions “that are important and favourable for Ukraine” while the stoppage persists. Hungary had already suspended diesel shipments to Ukraine earlier in the week, linking that step to the pipeline outage and signaling that energy trade and EU-level decisions would be used in tandem as pressure points.
Key dates cited by the parties:
- January 27, 2026: Oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia interrupted after Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone attack damaged the Druzhba pipeline.
- February 18, 2026: Hungary suspended diesel shipments to Ukraine, two days before the funding threat.
- February 20, 2026: Szijjártó’s video message pledging to block the EU loan until oil flows resume.
- February 23, 2026: Deadline set by Slovakia’s prime minister for resuming supplies (details below).
Hungary and Slovakia, both granted temporary exemptions from an EU policy restricting imports of Russian oil, have accused Ukraine — without providing evidence — of deliberately holding up supplies. Ukraine has not confirmed that charge and says the interruption stems from wartime damage and ongoing repair work.
Hungary’s foreign minister accused Ukraine of blackmail. (AP: Boglarka Bodnar/MTI)
What halted the oil: reported damage to Druzhba
Ukrainian officials said the outage began after a Russian drone attack damaged infrastructure on January 27, 2026. The Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline — which transits Ukrainian territory to supply Central European refiners — has long been a critical route for Russian crude deliveries to landlocked EU states, including Hungary and Slovakia, that lack access to seaborne oil terminals.
The system, built in the Soviet era and spanning thousands of kilometres, feeds major refineries in countries such as Hungary and Germany. Imagery from sections of the line, including river crossings and refinery approaches, underlines the strategic role of Druzhba in sustaining regional fuel supplies and industrial output.
Slovakia links oil flow to emergency power exports
In a parallel move, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that if Ukraine does not resume oil supplies to Slovakia by Monday, February 23, 2026, he will ask the relevant Slovak companies to stop emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine.
Slovakia has been sending power into Ukraine’s grid to help stabilize a system battered by Russian strikes. Fico’s ultimatum effectively ties that support to the restoration of Russian crude flows, adding pressure on Kyiv at a time when Ukraine is trying to balance its role as a transit country with its own security and infrastructure constraints.
Kyiv offers alternate routes during repairs
Ukraine has proposed temporary workarounds while emergency pipeline repairs are under way. In a letter seen by Reuters, the Ukrainian mission to the EU suggested moving oil either through Ukraine’s domestic oil transportation system or via a maritime route, which would require coordination among operators, regulators and commercial shippers.
The letter stated: “Ukraine consistently reiterates its continuous readiness to ensure transportation of the oil within the available legal framework.” Ukrainian officials argue that, under existing EU sanctions law and Ukraine’s own wartime rules, they remain prepared to honor transit obligations so long as security and technical conditions allow.
Energy-policy context inside the EU
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, most European countries have significantly reduced or halted imports of Russian energy. Under the EU’s oil sanctions regime — set out in the Council Regulation establishing the embargo on seaborne Russian crude and subsequent amendments — pipeline deliveries can continue to certain landlocked member states that cannot easily diversify away from Russian supply.
Hungary and Slovakia have continued to receive Russian crude via Druzhba under those exemptions and have maintained — and in Hungary’s case increased — supplies of Russian oil and gas relative to many peers. Their stance has repeatedly complicated EU decision-making, where sanctions, macro-financial assistance for Ukraine and joint energy measures require consensus among all 27 capitals.
The current dispute therefore lands at the intersection of EU energy security, sanctions enforcement and budget policy, with Budapest explicitly using its veto power over Ukraine aid and Bratislava leveraging cross-border electricity flows.
Drone strike reported in Russia’s Udmurt Republic
Separately on February 21, 2026, officials in Russia’s Udmurt Republic reported that Ukrainian drones struck an industrial site, injuring 11 people, three of whom were hospitalized, according to regional health minister Sergei Bagin on Telegram. Regional head Alexander Brechalov said a facility had been attacked by drones, noting injuries and damage but without naming the site or providing additional details.
A Russian news channel said the target was a key state-owned missile factory. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities. The reported strike underscores how the war’s long-range drone campaign is increasingly reaching deep into Russian industrial regions, even as diplomatic and economic pressure plays out over energy corridors like Druzhba.
What each side is saying
- Hungary: Szijjártó alleged Ukraine is “blackmailing” Hungary by not restarting oil shipments and said Budapest will block EU decisions favorable to Kyiv until flows resume, framing the issue as a matter of national sovereignty over energy security.
- Slovakia: Fico tied continued emergency electricity supplies to the restoration of oil deliveries, casting the link as a reciprocal arrangement while warning of potential cuts that could affect Ukraine’s already strained power grid.
- Ukraine: In correspondence cited by Reuters, Kyiv proposed alternative transit options and said it is ready to transport the oil within the legal framework, arguing that responsibility for delays rests with the physical damage to Druzhba and the constraints of operating critical infrastructure under fire.
- Allegations: Hungary and Slovakia accused Ukraine of deliberately holding up supplies; neither government provided evidence for that claim, and Ukrainian officials have publicly rejected the characterization.
The immediate procedural step is Slovakia’s deadline: Fico said that if oil supplies to Slovakia do not resume by Monday, February 23, 2026, he will ask the relevant Slovak companies to stop emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine. Diplomats in Brussels and regional capitals will be watching whether that threat is carried out, as it could widen the dispute from a technical pipeline outage into a broader test of EU unity over support for Kyiv and enforcement of its own energy rules.