Brussels Pressures Kyiv Over Friendship Pipeline. Orban Talks with Putin

The geopolitical deadlock concerning the southern branch of the Friendship pipeline has entered a critical phase, becoming the focal point of negotiations between Kyiv, Budapest, and Brussels. Ukraine maintains that the infrastructure suffered severe damage from Russian shelling earlier this year, preventing stable resource transmission. The Ministry of Energy in Kyiv points to damage to control equipment, the complexity of which requires specialized repairs beyond current operational capabilities in the war zone. Meanwhile, the Hungarian side, represented by the MOL conglomerate and Prime Minister Viktor Orban, openly accuses Ukraine of energy blackmail. Budapest demands the immediate restoration of the pipeline's full capacity, on which the Hungarian economy remains structurally dependent, and questions the technical impossibility of transmission, pointing to selective deliveries made in recent days. In response to the escalating conflict, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held telephone consultations with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday. According to reports from Brussels, the European Union is exerting strong pressure on Kyiv to allow international experts to inspect the damaged sections of the pipeline. This is to verify the truth of Ukrainian claims about the failure and calm sentiments in the Visegrad Group countries. Parallel to these diplomatic efforts, Viktor Orban held another conversation with Vladimir Putin, which sparked a wave of criticism from Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president publicly expressed hope for Orban's political defeat in the upcoming elections, calling his stance unacceptable in the face of ongoing aggression. Budapest, in turn, described these words as arrogance and interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state. Since the imposition of EU sanctions on Russian oil in 2022, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have benefited from a temporary exemption for pipeline supplies, making the infrastructure in Ukraine a key element of their energy security.The situation around raw materials is permeating financial negotiations over a loan amounting to 90 billion euros for Ukraine. Hungary remains the only member state still withholding its consent, explicitly linking the issue of financial support to the unblocking of full oil supplies. Slovakia has also sent a warning signal to Brussels by temporarily limiting electricity exports to Ukraine. The sequence of events paints a picture of coordinated pressure on Kyiv, which is forced to balance between the necessity of maintaining the military front and the need for an urgent cash injection from the EU budget. Orban's talks with Putin, which also concern the status of Hungarian prisoners of war, further complicate already tense Kyiv-Budapest relations, casting doubt on the unity of European Eastern policy. „Ez zsarolás, amit nem engedhetünk meg. Magyarország energiabiztonsága nem lehet a kijevi politika túsza.” (This is blackmail that we cannot allow. Hungary's energy security cannot be a hostage to Kyiv's politics.) — Prime Minister of Hungary „Wierzę, że naród węgierski dokona właściwego wyboru i zwycięży polityka oparta na wartościach, a nie na układach z agresorem.” (I believe the Hungarian people will make the right choice and politics based on values, not on deals with the aggressor, will prevail.) — President of Ukraine