Hungary's Orban accuses Kyiv of plotting energy disruption

DW News · Feb 25, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday poured oil on the fire in a dispute with neighboring Ukraine by ordering tighter security at critical energy infrastructure sites, while accusing Kyiv of seeking to disrupt the Hungarian energy system. His actions come as Hungary and Slovakia — both of which have maintained ties with Moscow despite its invasion of Ukraine — blame Kyiv for an outage of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which carries Russian crude across Ukraine to the two countries. Kyiv, which has yet to respond to the latest Orban accusations, says the pipeline has been damaged by Russian drone strikes and that repairs are ongoing. The EU has, meanwhile, given assurances that neither Hungary nor Slovakia faces any imminent oil shortage, as they have alternative sources of supply. What has Orban said in his accusations against Kyiv? Orban, who has stalled a €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan to Ukraine as well as a fresh round of sanctions on Russia until Kyiv reopens the pipeline, has claimed the shutdown was for "political, ‌not ​technical, reasons."In a video ‌on his Facebook page, Orban said he had also received intelligence of possible further disruption to Hungary's energy system. "Therefore, I have ordered the reinforcement of protection for critical energy infrastructure. This means that we will deploy ⁠soldiers ​and equipment necessary to repel attacks near key ​energy facilities," he said. "The police will patrol with increased forces around designated power plants, distribution stations and control centers," he said. Orban offered no proof of his claims. The populist right-wing leader has repeatedly accused Ukraine of "blackmail" to force him to desist from opposing measures to assist Kyiv as it fights against Russian forces. He also says Ukraine wants to drive up energy prices in Hungary weeks before a pivotal April 12 election that he has cast as a choice between "war or peace," claiming that his rivals would pull the country into the Ukrainian conflict. Orban, Europe's longest-serving leader, and his Fidesz party have been trailing in most independent polls, with a center-right challenger, Peter Magyar, currently the favorite.Orban is a frequent thorn in the side of the EU and faces elections in AprilImage: Benoit Doppagne/BELGA/picture alliance What has the EU said? After a meeting of experts to discuss the situation in Hungary and Slovakia, a spokesperson for the European Commission said both countries had alternative sources of oil supply, such as the Adria pipeline that passes through Croatia. "Croatia confirmed at the meeting that non-Russian crude oil is being transported through the Adria pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia," Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said. "It remains the main alternative pipeline for Hungary and Slovakia to cover their needs, and the pipeline has sufficient capacity to increase volumes to fully cover the Hungarian and Slovakian requirements," she added. Hungary and Slovakia are among the very few European countries not to have reduced or ceased energy imports from Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost exactly four years ago. They have, in fact, even increased supplies of Russian oil and gas and have been temporarily exempted from EU rules prohibiting imports of Russian oil.Slovakia's Robert Fico (L) and Hungary's Orban have maintained friendly ties with Moscow Image: Omar Havana/AP Photo/picture alliance EU determined to make good on loan to Kyiv Meanwhile, the EU has been seeking ways to get around Hungary's opposition to the EU loan to Ukraine, with Iktonen saying that high-level talks were ongoing. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the bloc would push through the loan "one way or the other" despite the opposition from Budapest. "We have different options, and we will use them," she said. The foreign ministers of Germany and Belgium on Wednesday slammed Hungary for its position. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he was "appalled" by Hungary's behavior, saying it betrayed the country's "own struggle for freedom." Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, meanwhile, warned that "patience is wearing thin very quickly" in other EU countries. Edited by: Sean Sinico