Hungary weighs halting electricity and gas exports to Ukraine

Hungary is considering halting electricity and gas exports to Ukraine if Kyiv does not resume oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline. Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office chief Gergely Gulyás said today, Reuters reports. Hungary, like neighbouring Slovakia, announced on Wednesday that it was suspending diesel deliveries to Ukraine.

According to figures from consultancy ExPro, Hungary accounted for 45.5 percent of Ukraine’s total gas imports last year. Hungary accounted for 45 percent of Ukraine’s electricity imports in January this year, according to figures from ExPro.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico spoke on Wednesday about the possibility that Slovakia could halt so-called emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine, which are needed to stabilise its system. He said that if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy felt these supplies were not needed, the Slovak government could decide to withdraw from this cooperation. According to ExPro figures, Slovakia has accounted for around 18 percent of Ukraine’s electricity imports so far this month.

Russian oil deliveries to Slovakia and Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline have been interrupted following attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in January. According to foreign media reports, the cause was Russian attacks. Slovakia and Hungary accuse Zelenskyy of blocking the resumption of oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline for political reasons.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó spoke on Wednesday of political blackmail aimed at forcing Hungary to meet Kyiv’s demands, including allowing Ukraine to join the European Union. Russian oil deliveries through Ukraine were also interrupted in August last year. Zelenskyy then acknowledged before reporters that Ukrainian drone attacks on the Druzhba pipeline in Russia were linked to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s opposition to Ukraine joining the EU.

The Slovak government declared an oil emergency on Wednesday and agreed that the state would lend up to 250.000 tonnes of oil from its emergency reserves to the Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava. Gulyás said today that the Hungarian government had begun releasing oil from strategic reserves, as requested on Monday by Hungarian oil company MOL. MOL also owns the Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava.

Gulyás also said today that Hungary is coordinating its steps related to halting deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline with Slovakia. He also repeated accusations that Ukraine is trying to influence the parliamentary elections to be held in Hungary in April. Kyiv denies these accusations.

Gulyás claims there has been nothing preventing the resumption of deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline since 6 February. According to him, the Ukrainians repeatedly say they need another day or two, but in reality are doing nothing about it. He called Kyiv’s approach “unacceptable and intolerable”, the MTI news agency reported.