Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Wednesday that his government would gradually stop natural gas supplies to Ukraine in response to a halt in Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline. The move escalates tensions between Budapest and Kyiv over energy transit amid Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia.

In a video posted to social media after a cabinet meeting, Orbán described the oil stoppage as 'Ukrainian blackmail' and stated, 'As long as Ukraine does not supply oil, it will not receive gas from Hungary.' He said Hungary would store the remaining gas domestically to bolster its reserves, including an additional 800 million cubic meters mandated by a new decree.

The Druzhba pipeline, a Soviet-era system, carries Russian crude oil through Ukraine to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia designed specifically for that oil. Flows halted nearly two months ago after a Russian drone strike damaged the pipeline in late January, according to Ukraine, which cited ongoing attacks as complicating repairs. Hungary and Slovakia have accused Kyiv of deliberately delaying repairs, with Orbán linking the issue to broader energy security threats.

Gas flows from Hungary to Ukraine continued at around 8.3 million cubic meters per day as of Thursday morning, but Hungary has banned auctions for third-quarter shipments and plans a full phase-out, potentially from July 1. Ukraine imported 2.9 billion cubic meters from Hungary in 2025, about 45% of its total gas imports, though the share dropped to 38% in January and 28% for March contracts.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi warned that halting supplies would deprive Hungary of over $1 billion in annual transit revenue. Kyiv has not issued further official comment on the announcement. Slovakia faces similar oil shortages and received a temporary EU exemption from Russian oil import bans.

The dispute compounds longstanding frictions. Hungary, led by the EU-skeptic Orbán, has blocked a €90 billion EU aid package for Ukraine and vetoed related decisions until oil flows resume. Budapest previously halted diesel exports to Ukraine and deployed troops to protect energy sites. The measures come ahead of Hungary's April 12 elections.

EU experts arrived last week to assist with Druzhba repairs, but no resumption timeline has been confirmed. Both Hungary and Slovakia maintain exemptions from the bloc's Russian oil embargo due to their pipeline dependencies.