Hungarian PM convenes emergency meeting after Ukraine blocks Russian oil transit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban convened an emergency session of the country’s Energy Security Council following Ukraine’s decision to block the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, the Hungarian government’s information center said.

The main topic of the meeting is coordinating necessary steps in response to what Budapest calls “energy blackmail by Ukraine,” Caliber.Az cites foreign media.

Alongside Orban, participants include Foreign and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó, Energy Minister Csaba Lantos, Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Balázs Orban, National Security Adviser Marcell Bíró, MAVIR CEO Ferenc Sarvash, MOL oil and gas company head Zsolt Hernádi, and MVM energy company leader Károly Mátrai.

According to Hungarian data, oil has not flowed through the Druzhba pipeline since January 27.

The Druzhba pipeline is one of the world’s largest oil pipelines, transporting Russian crude across Ukraine to several European countries, including Hungary and Slovakia. It has been in operation since the 1960s and historically supplied large volumes of Russian oil to Central and Eastern Europe. 

In late January 2026, oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia were halted. While Hungarian and Slovak officials have publicly blamed Ukraine for blocking the transit, Ukraine and independent analysts point out that the suspension of oil flows was triggered by damage to the pipeline infrastructure caused by Russian military strikes on Ukrainian territory. Kyiv argues that the transit disruption is therefore a direct result of Russian aggression, not a Ukrainian blockade. 

By Khagan Isayev