EditPéter Magyar links lifting Ukraine loan veto to Druzhba oil restart
Budapest signals possible movement on the €90 billion package, while an EU technical mission still waits in Kyiv for access to the damaged section
Fresh from a landslide election victory that handed his Tisza party a two-thirds constitutional majority, Péter Magyar said Hungary could lift its veto on the European Union’s planned €90 billion loan for Ukraine once oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline are restored.
Thus Magyar opened a potential path for the unfreezing of one of the bloc’s most politically sensitive financial packages.
Speaking in an interview with state television on Wednesday, Magyar said he expected Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to remove Hungary’s blockade after transit through the pipeline resumes. He added that Budapest could agree to unblock the financing if the Druzhba route, which supplies Hungary, is brought back online.
His comments came after he had already said earlier in the week that Hungary would not obstruct Kyiv’s access to assistance, while underlining that Budapest could still maintain its refusal to participate financially in the loan itself.
The remarks place the focus squarely on the energy dispute that has increasingly shaped Hungary’s position on Ukraine support. Orbán blocked the loan payment amid tensions with Kyiv over interruptions in oil deliveries via Druzhba, after part of the infrastructure was damaged in January by a Russian drone strike.
On 27 January, a Russian attack hit infrastructure in Brody, in Ukraine’s Lviv region, causing a fire and halting technological processes at the site, according to Naftogaz. Industry outlet Enkorr reported that the damaged facility was linked to the Druzhba oil pipeline, which remains operational as a strategic route for transporting Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on 12 February that Russian oil deliveries through Druzhba had been halted since the 27 January attack. He also said Budapest was preparing to complain about the transit disruption, sharply criticising Hungary’s response.
“Hungary did not express a single protest to Russia over this. They could not even say the word Russia. Double standards in full display,” Sybiha said.
The standoff quickly widened beyond oil transit. The governments of Hungary and Slovakia announced they would halt diesel exports to Ukraine until Russian oil deliveries through Druzhba were restored. Kyiv, for its part, said it had informed Budapest of the Russian strike and the resulting damage already on 27 January, arguing that accusations blaming Ukraine for supply delays were illogical.
The European Commission has also weighed in, saying it would like Ukraine to restore the operation of the Druzhba pipeline. At the same time, Brussels acknowledged that the risk of repeated Russian attacks means the final decision must remain with Ukraine.
The dispute has also spilled over into broader regional pressure. On 21 February, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said Slovakia would stop electricity supplies to Ukraine from 23 February unless oil transit through Druzhba resumed. A similar warning was also issued by the Hungarian government.
Kyiv has tried to shift the discussion toward alternatives, proposing that the EU use the Odesa-Brody pipeline as a substitute route for deliveries to Europe while the damaged Druzhba section remains unresolved.
Meanwhile, Hungary and Slovakia moved to establish a joint investigative commission to travel to Ukraine and examine the condition of the pipeline, with Orbán announcing the initiative on 27 February. On 11 March, reports emerged that a Hungarian delegation led by state secretary Gábor Czepek had arrived in Ukraine to assess the pipeline and discuss restoring flows to Hungary. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said he was unaware of the delegation’s arrival, noting that no visit had been agreed with Ukraine’s foreign ministry.
A separate European Union technical mission has faced similar obstacles.
EU experts stranded in Kyiv awaiting access to Russian-damaged Druzhba pipeline
The EU team, made up of experts from several member states and the European Commission, arrived in Ukraine on 18 March to assess the damage to the Druzhba pipeline and determine what would be required to restore operations. A month later, however, the experts remained in Kyiv, still waiting for authorisation to inspect the affected section.
According to an EU official speaking on condition of anonymity, Brussels had expected quick access after a 17 March exchange of letters between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and President Zelenskyy. In that correspondence, Zelenskyy indicated that Ukraine was ready to accept both technical and financial EU assistance for repairs.
The article on the topic by EUalive’s partner Suspilne in Ukrainian can be found here.
Caption: Tisza Party leader and prospective prime minister Péter Magyar speaks to the press before a meeting with the Hungarian president at the Sandor Palace in Budapest, Hungary, 15 April 2026. Tisza Party won a landslide victory in the Hungarian parliamentary elections on 12 April, ending the 16-year rule of Viktor Orban and the Fidesz party. EPA/ROBERT HEGEDUS
Updated: April 15, 2026 - 14:35
