Hungary, Slovakia Threaten Ukraine Power Cuts As Budapest Moves To Block 90-Billion-Euro EU Loan

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief reporting from Budapest

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary and Slovakia threaten to cut electricity supplies to Ukraine unless it resumes Russian oil shipments by Monday, as the Hungarian government moves to block a planned 90-billion-euro ($106-billion) European Union loan to the war-torn country in an escalating energy standoff.

Both countries, heavily dependent on Russian oil and natural gas, accuse Kyiv of “blackmail,” alleging it is deliberately delaying shipments to pressure them into backing Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union — a step both governments oppose. Ukraine denies the claim.

The governments in Budapest and Bratislava also oppose military aid to Ukraine, which has faced a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.

Oil shipments to the two EU members have been interrupted since January 27 after Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone attack damaged infrastructure linked to the Soviet-era Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline, which carries Russian crude across Ukrainian territory into Central Europe.

Hungary and Slovakia, which received temporary exemptions from the European Union’s ban on Russian oil imports, have accused Ukraine of slowing repairs. Kyiv rejects the allegation.

CROATIA DISPUTE

The dispute has also drawn in Croatia, which operates the Adriatic JANAF pipeline, a potential alternative supply route. Hungarian officials argue that transit capacity and fees make it an insufficient substitute for Druzhba flows.

Croatian authorities say the pipeline remains available under commercial terms and deny obstructing supplies. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose Fidesz party is trailing in the polls, has made cheap energy a central theme of his campaign ahead of the April 12 parliamentary vote.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Budapest would veto the EU’s 90-billion-euro interest-free loan package approved in December to support Ukraine’s military and economic needs over the next two years.

“We will not give in to this blackmail. We do not support Ukraine’s war, we will not pay for it,” Szijjártó said in a video statement.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that if shipments are not restored by Monday, he will ask Slovak companies to halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine. Last Wednesday, Hungary and Slovakia halted diesel exports to Ukraine.

UKRAINE RESPONSE

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as “ultimatums and blackmail,” saying the disruption followed a Russian drone strike on infrastructure in western Ukraine.

“Ultimatums should be sent to the Kremlin, and certainly not to Kyiv,” the ministry said.

Kyiv has proposed alternative transit routes while repair work continues.

Elsewhere, fighting continued along several frontlines as Ukraine appeared to make its largest battlefield gains in more than two and a half years, according to an analysis by news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), an independent research group monitoring developments in the armed conflict.

FRONTLINES SHIFT

Ukraine retook more than 200 square kilometers (about 77 square miles) of territory from Russian forces in five days last week, the AFP analysis showed. The figures could not be independently verified.

The advances followed the latest round of United States-brokered peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, which ended without a breakthrough.

Earlier this month, SpaceX, the U.S. company founded by Elon Musk, restricted access to Starlink terminals in Russian-held territory following Ukrainian concerns that their unauthorized use could help Russian forces communicate and advance on the battlefield, according to public statements.

“Looks like the steps we took to stop the unauthorized use of Starlink by Russia have worked,” Musk wrote on social media. “Let us know if more needs to be done.”

Jenny Mathers, a senior lecturer in international politics at Aberystwyth University, described Ukraine’s recent advances as “a really significant success for the Ukrainians,” adding that it had “made a huge difference.”

STRIKES CONTINUE

However, the ISW noted that Russia still gained net territory on the battlefield in February.

Russian forces also launched overnight drone and missile strikes targeting energy infrastructure in Kyiv, Odesa and parts of central Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said Sunday.

At least one civilian was killed and several others were injured in the strikes, according to Ukrainian authorities.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine continues to seek a “just and lasting peace,” adding that “real opportunities” remain if international support holds.

Thousands gathered in Paris over the weekend to show support for Ukraine.

EUROPE REACTS

French lawmaker Raphaël Glucksmann said solidarity with Kyiv “has not wavered,” even as debate continues within parts of Europe over future military and financial assistance.

Most European countries have reduced or halted Russian energy imports since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

Hungary, however, has maintained significant Russian oil and gas purchases under temporary EU exemptions, citing energy security concerns.

The dispute underscores widening divisions within the European Union as the war enters its fourth year.

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