Hungary threatens Ukraine to halt electricity supplies due to strikes on Druzhba oil pipeline

In an interview with a Hungarian TV channel, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said that Ukraine is critically dependent on Hungarian electricity.

Several types of energy carriers are supplied to Ukraine from Hungary. Among them, electricity is particularly prominent, accounting for 30% to 40% of Ukrainian imports every month. Let's think about what it will lead to if, say, 30-40 per cent of electricity imports to the country stop, what consequences will it have?", Sijjarto said.

According to the Hungarian minister, the country's energy supply affects not the government or officials, but ordinary citizens and families.

We don't want a Ukrainian flat where small children live to have no heating, because these small children cannot be responsible for the way a former actor and now their president behaves," Szijjártó added, alluding to Vladimir Zelensky.

The Hungarian threats are linked to a series of Ukrainian attacks on the strategic Druzhba oil pipeline, which ensures the transit of Russian oil to European countries. The strikes disrupted the supply of energy resources to Hungary and Slovakia.

The escalation in relations between Kiev and Budapest began in mid-August after Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian Druzhba oil pipeline:

• on 13 and 18 August, the AFU carried out drone strikes on the pipeline, which led to a fire and a complete halt of oil pumping.

• on 21 August, Ukrainian drones carried out a third attack on the Unecha station, which is also part of the Druzhba oil pipeline.

• After that, oil pumping to Hungary and Slovakia was completely stopped.

The Druzhba oil pipeline is one of the largest in the world and supplies Russian oil to several European countries, including Hungary and Slovakia. Ukrainian authorities see attacks on the facility as part of a strategy to weaken Russia's war machine by depriving the Kremlin of revenue from energy exports.

Budapest's stance has drawn criticism in the EU as Hungary continues to maintain close ties with Moscow even amid Russian aggression against Ukraine. Threats to cut off electricity to Ukrainian consumers are seen as an attempt to pressure Kiev to stop attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.