Speaking in Mátészalka on Friday, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said that the Ukrainian government – in collusion with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition – is blackmailing Hungary by blocking oil deliveries on the Druzhba (Friendship) oil pipeline. According to him, the goal is to cause supply disruptions and drive up petrol prices to 1,000 forints per liter ahead of the elections, but "we will not give in to this blackmail, we do not support Ukraine's war." Szijjártó claims that Ukraine has violated its partnership agreement with the European Union, which is why Hungary is going to block the €90 billion loan.
"As long as Ukraine continues to block the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline, as long as Ukraine does not resume oil deliveries to Hungary, Ukraine will not have access to the €90 billion war loan from the EU. Until oil deliveries from Ukraine to Hungary resume, Hungary will keep blocking the €90 billion war loan payable to Ukraine," the minister repeatedly stated.
The European Parliament recently approved the legislation necessary for a €90 billion loan to support Ukraine in 2026–2027.
Heads of state and government reached an agreement in principle on the loan last December at the European Council. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the 26 other leaders unanimously declared that the European Council had agreed on a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, which would have no financial impact on three member states, including Hungary, while the others would use enhanced cooperation for the loan. The use of this method, which is tailored to a specific group of Member States, was already approved by the EP in January.
According to the EP's statement, the proposals must also be passed by the Council of Ministers of the Member States. For two of the three, a qualified majority will suffice, but the regulation on the seven-year budget can only be amended unanimously.
In other words, it is not enough that Orbán has agreed to it in principle; the Hungarian government must also confirm this legally by accepting it.
The Hungarian government decided a few days ago that it would suspend diesel deliveries to Ukraine until the Ukrainians resume oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline. Shortly afterwards, the Slovak government made a similar announcement, which was not too surprising, given that Slovnaft is also owned by the Mol Group. The deliveries of crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline have been suspended since January 27, when Russia hit the pipeline during an attack on Ukraine.
It is unclear why the Hungarian government claims that a liter of petrol would cost 1,000 forints if we did not receive oil through the Druzhba pipeline. Although Mol does indeed purchase the oil coming through the Druzhba pipeline at a lower price than the oil coming through the Adria pipeline from Croatia, the company does not pass on the discount it receives on Russian oil to consumers, but instead realizes a profit from it, which the Hungarian state then skims off in the form of an extra profit tax. In 2024, fuel in Hungary was 5 percent more expensive than the EU average, while in the Czech Republic, which is in a very similar situation to ours, Czech drivers paid 18 percent less for gasoline (excluding taxes) and 10 percent less for diesel than Hungarians in 2025, excluding taxes. Read more about why the government and Mol are so keen on sticking with Russian oil here.