Hungary threatens to block fresh EU sanctions against Russia over oil deliveries

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó threatened on Sunday, February 22, 2026, to block a new European Union sanctions package against Russia and stall efforts to help Ukraine until Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline resume, escalating tensions within the bloc as foreign ministers prepare to meet in Brussels the following day. The EU's foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss the bloc's 20th round of sanctions against Moscow, a measure they hope to approve in time to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday. In a video posted to social media, Szijjártó explicitly stated that Hungary would not consent to the adoption of the 20th package of sanctions, accusing Ukraine of deliberately withholding Russian oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline. "We have previously made it clear that until the Ukrainians resume oil shipments to Hungary, we will not allow decisions that are important to them to be approved," he declared. Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia have been interrupted since January 27 after what Ukrainian officials claim were Russian drone attacks that damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude across Ukrainian territory into Central Europe. This disruption has led to rising tensions between Budapest and Kyiv. Nearly every European country has significantly reduced or ceased Russian energy imports since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, but Hungary and Slovakia—both EU and NATO members—have maintained and even increased their supplies of Russian oil and gas, receiving a temporary exemption from an EU policy prohibiting Russian oil imports. In addition to blocking the sanctions package, Hungary has announced it will also veto a major 90-billion-euro ($106-billion) EU loan to Ukraine intended to help Kyiv meet its military and economic needs for the next two years. The situation has been further complicated by Slovakia's similar stance, with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico stating his country would cut off emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine if oil deliveries were not restored by Monday. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has condemned these actions as "ultimatums and blackmail," accusing Hungary and Slovakia of "playing into the hands of the aggressor" and threatening the energy security of the entire region. Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who maintains the closest relationship with the Kremlin of any EU leader, has consistently argued that Russian fossil fuels are indispensable for his country's economy, claiming that switching to energy from elsewhere would cause immediate economic collapse—an assertion disputed by some experts. Orbán has frequently threatened to scuttle EU efforts to sanction Moscow over its invasion and has previously vetoed EU initiatives to provide military and financial assistance to Ukraine.