Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 22, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleHungary will veto the EU’s 20th Russia sanctions package until Druzhba oil flows via Ukraine resume. The dispute also threatens a €90bn EU loan to Kyiv and heightens regional energy tensions.
BUDAPEST, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Hungary will block the European Union's next package of sanctions against Russia, the foreign minister said on Sunday, the latest step aimed at pushing Ukraine to resume the flow of Russian oil through a pipeline supplying Hungarian refineries.
Shipments of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline have been cut off since January 27, when Kyiv said a Russian drone strike hit pipeline equipment in Western Ukraine. Slovakia and Hungary say Ukraine is to blame for the prolonged outage.
The EU is currently preparing its 20th sanctions package against Russia over the war in Ukraine. While negotiations are ongoing, many member countries would like to agree the package in time for the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, on Tuesday.
"At tomorrow's Foreign Affairs Council, the EU aims to adopt the 20th sanctions package. Hungary will block it," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on the X platform.
"Until Ukraine resumes oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, we will not allow decisions important to Kyiv to move forward," Szijjarto said in the post.
DEEPENING DISPUTE
The issue has caused one of the angriest disputes yet between Ukraine and neighbouring Hungary and Slovakia. Both countries are EU and NATO members, but their leaders have bucked the largely pro-Ukrainian consensus in Europe to cultivate warm ties with Moscow.
On Friday, Szijjarto said Hungary would block a 90-billion-euro ($106 billion) EU loan for Ukraine to fund its defence against Russia until the Druzhba shipments resumed. The EU needs to amend its budget law to unlock the loan - a step requiring unanimous backing.
Hungary and Slovakia have also threatened to stop electricity supplies to Ukraine over the issue.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as "ultimatums and blackmail" by the Hungarian and Slovak governments on Saturday.
(Reporting by Gergely Szakacs;Additional reporting by Andrew Gray and Lili Bayer;Editing by Helen Popper)
Hungary plans to block the EU’s 20th sanctions package on Russia, tying approval to the resumption of Druzhba pipeline oil transit through Ukraine to Hungarian and Slovak refineries.
Budapest argues that Ukraine must restart Russian oil flows via Druzhba before decisions important to Kyiv—such as new sanctions and an EU loan—can move forward.
Druzhba is a major route for Russian crude to Central Europe. Since Jan. 27, flows to Hungary and Slovakia have been halted after reported damage, tightening regional fuel supplies.
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