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A Hungarian government delegation has entered Ukraine to inspect the Druzhba oil pipeline, which has been out of operation since a Russian drone strike damaged it in late January, as an escalating dispute between Budapest and Kyiv has drawn in the European level.
The mission, which includes Gábor Czepeka, a deputy minister at Hungary’s Ministry of Energy, and a team of oil industry specialists, comes after months of dispute between Hungary and Slovakia—the two remaining importers of Russian crude via the pipeline— and Ukraine, which controls the transit infrastructure on its territory.
“Hungary’s position within the eastern pipeline network is a strategic asset, and keeping the Druzhba pipeline open is vital for the country,” Czepeka said before crossing into Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted strongly to the visit, arguing that the group had no official mandate and that Kyiv had no plans to receive it.
“On the territory of Ukraine, this group of individuals has no official status and no scheduled official meetings — it is therefore wholly incorrect to describe them as a ‘delegation’,” the ministry said in a statement. “Citizens of other states who treat Ukraine with respect and observe the general rules of entry, including for tourism, may remain on Ukrainian territory.”
The pipeline has become a flashpoint in Hungarian domestic politics ahead of parliamentary elections in April, in which Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party faces a significant challenge from Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party.
Orbán has made energy security a central campaign theme, accusing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of exploiting the pipeline dispute to destabilise his government.
“President Zelenskyy wants to punish Hungarian families and entrepreneurs with the oil blockade,” Mr Orbán wrote on social media on Tuesday. “He is blackmailing and threatening Hungary in order to bring a pro-Ukrainian government to power. We will not allow this.”
Kyiv denies that the pipeline is operational and maintains that any repairs would require a ceasefire with Russia. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said repairs could take up to six weeks, and has indicated he sees little reason to prioritise them.
Hungary and Slovakia had previously established a joint expert panel to investigate the pipeline and requested access to the site, but Ukraine did not respond. The European Commission also welcomed the proposal from the two countries to send a fact-finding mission to inspect the damaged section of the Druzhba pipeline, seeing it as a first step to ease the standoff between the two countries and Ukraine.
Both governments released satellite imagery that they said demonstrated the infrastructure remained functional and could be independently verified.
Hungary blocked a €90 billion EU loan package to Ukraine, citing Kyiv’s alleged deliberate delay of pipeline repairs for political ends.
Last week, Hungarian authorities seized a Ukrainian convoy transporting a significant quantity of cash and gold near Budapest, launching a money-laundering investigation.
Hungary’s Minister of Transport, János Lázár, acknowledged that the seizure was linked to the pipeline standoff, and that the assets would not be returned until oil flows through Druzhba resumed.