Hungary-Ukraine Druzhba Crisis Deepens: Orban Deploys Troops, EU Seeks Workaround for Veto
The Hungary-Ukraine confrontation over the Druzhba pipeline intensified through late February 2026, evolving from diplomatic blockades into military posturing and urgent EU crisis management. After Hungary formally vetoed both the 20th sanctions package and €90 billion loan at the Feb 23 Foreign Ministers meeting, Slovakia joined by halting emergency electricity supplies. European Council President Costa and Commission officials pushed back, demanding Hungary honor its December commitments while advancing alternative oil routes through Croatia. Zelensky told Orban to 'talk to Putin' about an energy ceasefire, while Ukraine proposed direct solutions including a Zelensky-Orban summit. By Feb 25-26, Orban escalated further — deploying troops to guard energy infrastructure, publishing an open letter demanding Zelensky restore Druzhba, and requesting an EU fact-finding mission. EU diplomats scrambled for a political compromise to bypass the veto before Ukraine's projected financial crisis in April.
The most striking pattern in this story is not what sources report, but what they systematically omit: Russian media covering the same EU briefings as Ukrainian outlets consistently exclude the European Commission's condemnation of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, while Ukrainian sources consistently omit Hungary's practical energy contingency measures -- producing parallel but incompatible information universes from shared source events. The central factual dispute -- whether Russia damaged the Druzhba pipeline or Ukraine is deliberately blocking it -- persists unresolved across all 14 developments without a single independent technical assessment cited by any source, yet both sides build escalating political and military responses on their version of contested facts. Perhaps most revealing is a leaked EU diplomat's admission that the compromise is performative: 'He will get his damned pipeline. This story doesn't look credible, but he needs to win his campaign' -- a quote suggesting Brussels views the entire confrontation as election theater, even as Russian state media frame it as an existential sovereignty crisis and Ukrainian media frame it as a threat to the country's financial survival. Meanwhile, TASS's editorial framing escalated over the story's arc from reporting Hungary's 'blackmail' grievance to platforming a conspiracy theory that the European Commission itself ordered the pipeline shutdown to engineer Orban's defeat.
Developments
Following the stoppage of Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline on January 27, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban accused Ukraine of blackmail and ordered the release of strategic oil reserves. FM Szijjarto called the blockage a political decision by Zelensky aimed at undermining Hungary's government ahead of April elections. Hungary and Slovakia halted diesel exports to Ukraine and threatened further gas and electricity cutoffs, coordinating a joint response. Ukraine's MFA spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi responded that the pipeline was damaged by a Russian strike on infrastructure near Brody in Lviv Oblast and compared Hungary's dependence on Russian oil to 'drug addiction,' noting Budapest had failed to blame Russia for the damage. Orban further accused Ukraine of financing the opposition Tisza party, sabotaging Nord Stream, and seeking to drag Hungary into the conflict.
Speaking at the opening of Hungary's parliamentary spring session on February 23, PM Orban declared that diplomatic relations between Hungary and Ukraine had reached a 'critical point.' He accused Zelensky and Brussels of conspiring to create an emergency situation and achieve regime change in Budapest, claiming Ukraine used oil as a weapon in violation of its EU Association Agreement. Orban stated Hungary would not agree to Ukraine's EU accession, would refuse to finance its war effort, and would resist being cut off from Russian energy. He subsequently accused Zelensky of directly pressuring Hungary even on the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, saying it was because Hungary 'refuses to be dragged into the conflict.' Ukrainian MP Kostenko called Orban's claims about Ukrainian threats to Hungarian infrastructure 'absurd' and aimed at helping Russia.
On February 20, Hungary's EU ambassador formally objected to the agreed-upon 90 billion euro EU loan to Ukraine, blocking the required unanimity of all 27 member states. FM Szijjarto declared Hungary would block the loan until oil transit through Druzhba resumed, calling the situation 'political blackmail.' The loan, agreed at the December 2025 EU summit for 2026-2027, was structured as 60 billion euros for defense and 30 billion for budget support. Hungary blocked by refusing to approve amendments to the EU's long-term budget framework, one of three legislative acts needed for disbursement. The Financial Times reported that without the loan, Ukraine faces potential financial collapse by the second quarter, and a related 8 billion euro IMF program could also be jeopardized.
EU institutions and member states rallied to overcome Hungary's blockade. The European Commission called Hungary's veto a violation of the 'principle of loyal cooperation,' with European Council President Costa demanding Orban honor the December agreement and warning of consequences. The EU Council approved two of three legislative acts needed for the 90 billion euro loan on February 24, and EP President Metsola ceremonially signed them on the anniversary of Russia's invasion. Commissioner Dombrovskis said preparations for an April disbursement would continue. Von der Leyen, visiting Kyiv, promised the loan would arrive 'one way or another,' pledging the first defense package by Easter. Costa and Kallas separately rebuked Hungary, with Costa writing that Hungary's actions violated the 'principle of sincere cooperation' — language hinting at possible Article 7 proceedings.
Hungary escalated its EU blockade on February 22 by announcing it would also veto the 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions. At the February 23 EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels, Szijjarto formally blocked both the sanctions package and the 90 billion euro loan. He denied that the Druzhba pipeline had been damaged by Russian strikes, claiming Russia confirmed all repairs were complete. Orban held an emergency Energy Security Council meeting and wrote to European Council President Costa calling the pipeline stoppage an 'unprovoked act of hostility.' Ukraine's sanctions envoy Vlasyuk separately revealed that Greece and Malta were also blocking the sanctions package over opposition to maritime oil services restrictions, complicating the narrative of Hungary as the sole obstructionist.
On February 23, Slovak PM Robert Fico announced the suspension of emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine, ordering state grid operator SEPS to stop providing stabilization assistance. Fico said the measure was the first retaliatory step that could be taken without violating international obligations, and warned of further measures including reconsidering Slovakia's support for Ukraine's EU membership. Slovak FM Blanar said Bratislava's frustration stemmed from Ukraine's refusal to allow Slovak inspectors to assess the Druzhba damage site. Ukraine's grid operator Ukrenergo responded that the last emergency assistance request to Slovakia was over a month ago and the suspension would have no impact on the unified energy system. Ukrainian energy experts noted that Slovakia's share of emergency supplies was minimal, with total import capacity from all four directions covering under 15% of peak winter demand.
Ukraine's FM Andrii Sybiha told Politico on February 24 that Kyiv was ready to act constructively and had proposed several realistic solutions for resolving the Druzhba pipeline dispute. Ukraine repeatedly offered to arrange a direct meeting between Zelensky and Orban to 'detoxify' bilateral relations, but Budapest did not respond, choosing instead 'public ultimatums and blackmail.' Sybiha urged Slovakia and Hungary to direct their complaints to Russia and demand Moscow stop bombing Ukrainian energy infrastructure. He questioned Orban's motives given upcoming Hungarian elections where polls show Fidesz trailing the opposition Tisza party, and demanded that Budapest stop using Ukraine in its domestic politics.
At a joint press conference with EU leaders in Kyiv on February 24, President Zelensky sharply responded to Hungary's blockade, telling Orban to negotiate an energy ceasefire directly with Putin rather than pressuring Ukraine. Zelensky emphasized that Russia destroyed the Druzhba infrastructure and that Ukraine possessed satellite imagery proving Russian strikes. He noted that Russian forces deliberately target repair crews, making restoration dangerous. Zelensky warned that if Orban blocks the €90 billion loan, he would put himself 'on the same level as Putin and Lukashenko.' European Council President Costa announced that Ukraine had agreed to conduct an assessment of the time needed for pipeline restoration, while noting alternative routes via Croatia's Adria pipeline existed for Hungary and Slovakia.
The EU's Oil Coordination Group met on February 25 and proposed alternative supply routes for Hungary and Slovakia through Croatia's Adria pipeline, with non-Russian oil deliveries already contracted by MOL Group. EC spokesperson Itkonen stated there was no immediate energy supply security risk, as both countries had begun using emergency oil reserves. Croatia confirmed participation but was examining legal frameworks for potentially accepting Russian oil shipments given EU sanctions. The group concluded the Druzhba stoppage did not constitute an energy security threat to the EU. Separately, Hungary and Slovakia confirmed they had started releasing strategic oil reserves to cover the supply gap.
As Ukraine faced a projected funding crisis by March-April 2026, EU diplomats scrambled to find a political solution to Hungary's veto of the €90 billion loan. According to Politico, citing multiple European diplomats, Brussels leaned toward offering Orban a face-saving compromise — likely a commitment to restore Druzhba oil supplies — rather than pursuing legal action under Article 7. One diplomat noted: 'He will get his damned pipeline.' EU officials acknowledged that pressuring Orban during his election campaign could backfire, potentially strengthening his domestic position. Commissioner Dombrovskis announced the EU would proceed with April disbursement preparations regardless of the veto, while RT published an analytical piece arguing the confrontation was really about Brussels dismantling the EU consensus principle to erode member state sovereignty.
On February 25, following a Defense Council meeting, PM Orban announced the deployment of military personnel and equipment near critical energy facilities, citing intelligence reports that Ukraine was 'preparing further actions to disrupt Hungary's energy system.' Police were ordered to conduct enhanced patrols around designated power stations, distribution stations, and control centers, while drone flights were banned in the border county of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. Orban provided no specific evidence for the claimed threat. Hungarian media outlet HVG noted the rhetoric suggested physical attack fears but details were absent. Ukrainian officials and media reacted with skepticism — MP Kostenko called the claims 'absurd,' noting Ukraine would not attack a NATO member state, and several Ukrainian outlets published detailed analyses of Hungary's 32,000-strong military capabilities in response.
In an interview with the YouTube channel Patriota on February 25, Orban declared that Ukraine would not succeed in destabilizing Hungary through the Druzhba oil blockade. He stated Hungary had accumulated sufficient reserves to prevent chaos before the April elections and that the economy could not be 'brought to its knees' by the pipeline stoppage. Orban confirmed that MOL had requested the release of state oil reserves and arranged maritime deliveries through Croatia. The statements reinforced his narrative framing the pipeline dispute as an attempt by Ukraine to manipulate Hungarian domestic politics ahead of the parliamentary elections.
On February 26, Hungary formally requested the European Commission send an independent fact-finding mission to assess the Druzhba pipeline's condition and determine whether technical or political reasons prevented the resumption of oil flows. FM Szijjártó claimed that during an EU coordination meeting, Ukrainian representatives had 'admitted' that the pipeline stoppage was politically motivated, a claim promptly denied by Ukraine's MFA which called it a 'deliberate distortion.' Szijjártó also alleged that the EU planned to ban Russian oil imports to Hungary immediately after the April elections, vowing Budapest would not allow it. Separately, former Ukrainian PM Azarov told TASS that Kyiv was blocking Druzhba 'on orders from Brussels' to prevent Orban from winning the elections, while Russia's Tatarstan confirmed pipeline repairs on the Russian side were complete.
On February 26, Orban published an open letter addressed to Zelensky on social media, accusing him of spending four years trying to drag Hungary into the Russia-Ukraine war with support from Brussels and the Hungarian opposition. He claimed Ukraine, Brussels, and the opposition were coordinating to install a 'pro-Ukrainian government' in Budapest. Orban demanded that Zelensky immediately restore the Druzhba pipeline and 'refrain from further attacks on Hungary's energy security,' while calling for an end to what he termed Ukraine's 'anti-Hungarian policy.' The letter stated Hungary bore no responsibility for Ukraine's situation and did not wish to participate in or finance the war. The letter was widely covered across Ukrainian, Russian, and US media, with Ukrainian sources noting Orban continued to blame Ukraine for pipeline damage caused by Russian strikes.