Ukraine, Hungary clash over Druzhba pipeline as Budapest accuses Kyiv of skipping talks

Hungary accused Ukraine on March 16 of refusing to attend a trilateral meeting with Hungarian and Slovak officials on the status of the Druzhba pipeline, escalating a dispute over the damaged route that previously carried Russian crude to Central Europe.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said a consultation involving energy ministers from Hungary, Slovakia, and Ukraine had been scheduled but Kyiv ultimately declined to participate.

Ukrainian officials denied that such talks had ever been planned.

The disagreement highlights growing tensions between Ukraine and two European Union member states that relied on the pipeline for Russian oil supplies before it went offline in late January.

Ukraine has said the pipeline's Ukrainian section was damaged during a Russian strike, while Hungarian officials dispute that claim and argue the infrastructure is ready to resume operations.

"Ukraine is not restarting the Druzhba oil pipeline for purely political reasons," Szijjarto said.

Responding to a query from the Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Kyiv could not refuse to attend a meeting that had never been agreed upon.

"It is impossible to refuse something that was never planned," Tykhyi said, adding that Hungary had attempted to present last-minute proposals as established arrangements.

The accusations follow the arrival in Kyiv of a Hungarian delegation, which sought to assess whether the pipeline remained operational. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said the visit had not been coordinated and that the delegation held no official meetings with Ukrainian authorities.

The team failed to inspect the pipeline during the visit.

Orban — widely viewed as one of the EU's most Kremlin-friendly leaders — has accused Kyiv of deliberately suspending oil transit. Hungary has since blocked the EU's proposed 20th sanctions package against Russia and a planned 90-billion-euro ($107-billion) loan to Ukraine.

Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz, together with the Foreign Ministry, held a briefing for ambassadors from 31 countries to outline the reported damage caused by a Russian strike.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis and Naftogaz CEO Serhii Koretskyi presented details on the pipeline's status, which were shared with Hungarian representatives as well.

Tykhyi said partners received full updates on the condition of the Druzhba route during the briefing.

Hungarian rhetoric toward Ukraine has intensified in recent weeks amid a domestic election campaign, with analysts noting that Orban's ruling Fidesz party trails the opposition.