Hungary to gradually halt gas supplies to Ukraine amid oil transit dispute

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday that his government will gradually halt gas supplies to Ukraine, citing what he described as a continued blockade of crude oil deliveries to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline, reported Xinhua. In a video message posted on social media ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Orban said Ukraine has been blocking the pipeline for around 30 days. "As long as Ukraine does not supply oil, it will not receive gas from Hungary," he said, adding that Ukraine had targeted infrastructure linked to Hungary's southern gas supply route. Orban said that Hungary would retain gas volumes domestically and increase storage levels to safeguard its own energy security. The move marks a further escalation in a weeks-long dispute over energy transit in the region. Oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia via Ukraine, have halted since late January. Hungary has suspended exports of refined fuels such as diesel and gasoline to Ukraine and vetoed a proposed 90-billion-euro EU financial support package for Kyiv.

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