Hungary to Block EU Sanctions. Slovakia Threatens to Cut Off Ukraine's Electricity

Diplomatic relations between Kyiv and its western neighbors have entered a phase of deep crisis since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. The flashpoint has been the interrupted pumping of Russian raw materials through the southern branch of the "Friendship" oil pipeline. In response to drastic drops in oil volumes, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced an official veto against the planned twentieth package of sanctions targeting Moscow. Meanwhile, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico presented Volodymyr Zelenskyy's cabinet with an unprecedented ultimatum. He sharply declared his readiness to pay a direct visit to the state-owned operator company SEPS, demanding the suspension of emergency energy aid exports to Ukrainian territory. According to Bratislava, the Ukrainian side is instrumentally cutting refineries off from essential fuels, simultaneously violating basic trade principles and generating enormous losses for EU decision-makers.

„Nie będziemy stać bezczynnie, gdy rurociąg Przyjaźń zostanie zamknięty. Zabezpieczymy zapasy paliwa dla Węgier i podejmiemy niezbędne środki zaradcze, dopóki nie zostaną wznowione dostawy.” (We will not stand idly by when the Friendship pipeline is shut down. We will secure fuel reserves for Hungary and take the necessary remedial measures until supplies are resumed.) — Viktor Orbán

The "Friendship" pipeline artery, established in the mid-20th century by Soviet authorities, is a key European route for transporting crude oil. Its crossing of the western Ukrainian Carpathian zone led Hungary and Slovakia to develop strategic refineries built exclusively for the profile and sulfur content of eastern export goods.

The leadership from neighboring capitals blocked the transfer of diesel oil, which poses a logistical challenge, although Ukraine is diversifying fuel supplies mainly through Poland and Greece, minimizing the risk to military operations. Diplomats on the Dnieper rejected the accusations of Prime Ministers Fico and Orbán, arguing that transit interruptions result from Russian attacks that damaged pipeline infrastructure in the Lviv region. Condemning the harsh sanctions of European partners, Ukrainian authorities demand strict enforcement of law and association bans, appealing for diplomats to understand the gravity of the struggle for the region's integrity and stabilization.

9,1 mln baryłek — is the current Russian daily oil production after the imposition of Western embargo

Sanction consequences for raw materials (Polish Economic Institute): Production volume of standalone wells: around 9.6 million barrels → only 9.1 million barrels daily; Financial trade discount for Russian Urals oil relative to Brent: deviation close to 4 dollars → unstable discounts ranging from 11 to even 30 dollars

Economists are closely watching the political vendetta. According to the Polish Economic Institute, the introduced embargo has painfully slowed the commodity flow of giants exporting from the Urals. A significantly thinned group of Far Eastern buyers is imposing tough demands on the Kremlin, negotiating double-digit rate reductions before final purchase of reservoir cargoes backlogged in port terminals. Selective energy competition exposes the growing fatigue of countries fearing a permanent collapse of their national economies before the exhaustion of Moscow's destructive land-based war machine. EU budget protection mechanisms are slowing down and prompting individual commissioners to make constant legal adjustments aimed at restoring the coherence of the former allied policy in the East.