Hungary threatens to halt gas and electricity supplies to Ukraine

Hungary is considering suspending exports of electricity and natural gas to Ukraine amid the dispute over the transit of russian oil via the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba oil pipeline. This was stated by the Head of the Prime Minister’s Office of Viktor Orbán, Gergely Gulyás, during a briefing on Thursday.

According to him, Hungary will take appropriate measures if Ukraine does not resume the transit of russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline.

Hungary also plans to coordinate its actions with Slovakia, which earlier threatened to suspend electricity supplies to Ukraine.

Gulyás added that the government released strategic oil reserves after the state-owned company MOL submitted a relevant request.

Gas imports from Hungary

The Hungarian route is one of the key directions for natural gas imports to Ukraine. According to ExPro estimates, in 2025, Ukraine imported more than 2.9 bcm of natural gas from Hungary (45% of total imports).

In 2026, the share of the Hungarian route in total gas imports to Ukraine declined slightly to 38% in January 2026 (266 mcm). The lower share of imports from Hungary was due to more active gas imports from Poland, which accounted for more than half of total imports in January 2026.

Gas imports from Slovakia were lower – 1.3 bcm in 2025 (20%). The Slovak route is less attractive due to higher tariffs.

The mechanism for a possible suspension of natural gas supplies from Hungary and Slovakia to Ukraine remains unclear. Natural gas supplies are mainly handled by private companies, including large international traders that are often not local entities. Hungary and Slovakia act as transit countries, and halting gas supplies would constitute a violation of EU legislation.

Even in the theoretical case of blocking natural gas supplies to Ukraine, there would be no critical situation. Ukraine has other operational import routes, primarily from Poland. In addition, gas stocks in Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities are almost 40% higher than in the corresponding period last year, which would allow Ukraine to cover demand even if supplies from Hungary and Slovakia were suspended.

Electricity imports from Hungary

Hungary is also an important electricity supplier to Ukraine, with imports from Hungary accounting for up to 50% of total electricity imports in February 2026. According to ExPro estimates, Ukraine imported around 1.4 million MWh from Hungary in 2025, representing 42% of total electricity imports.

Meanwhile, electricity imports from Slovakia account for around 18% of total imports in February 2026.

No restrictions on electricity imports, as well as on natural gas imports, have been introduced so far. As in the case of gas, the discussion currently concerns threats of such steps rather than actual restrictions.

A theoretical halt of electricity supplies to Ukraine, as threatened by Hungary, could have a noticeable short-term impact, given that Ukraine is facing a power deficit following russian missile and drone attacks.

Diesel supply suspension

Alongside political statements, Hungary and Slovakia have already suspended diesel exports to Ukraine amid the lack of russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline.

According to NaftoRynok estimates, the Hungarian-Slovak direction accounted for around 11% of Ukraine’s diesel imports in January 2026. At the same time, given seasonally lower demand and the possibility of replacing supplies from other directions, the suspension is not critical for the market and is unlikely to cause significant price growth.

Oil transit via Druzhba

As previously reported, the transit of russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba oil pipeline was suspended following a russian attack on the pipeline infrastructure in the city of Brody on January 27, 2026.

The attack caused a major fire that was extinguished over 10 days. The restoration of damaged facilities may take some time, and no official timeline for resuming transit has been announced.

Hungary and Slovakia accuse Ukraine of politically delaying the restoration of russian oil transit. Meanwhile, the European Commission is discussing with Ukraine the timeline for restoring the Druzhba oil pipeline.

As reported by ExPro, in 2025, Ukraine transported about 9.73 million tons of russian oil via the southern branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline, 14% less than in 2024 (11.36 million tons). This was also the lowest level since at least 2014, and likely the lowest in the entire history of Ukraine’s independence since 1991.