Hungary announced that it was ending diesel fuel shipments to Ukraine, and Slovakia said it could also cut energy shipments. Hungary and Slovakia are taking the step because Ukraine is blocking Russian oil shipments to the Eastern European nations.
“Today we decided to suspend diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine. Shipments will not resume until oil transit toward Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline is restored,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó wrote on X Wednesday.
Today we decided to suspend diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine. Shipments will not resume until oil transit toward Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline is restored.@ZelenskyyUA has decided not to restart oil transit for political reasons, deliberately putting Hungary’s energy supply…
— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) February 18, 2026
Ukrainian President Zelensky “has decided not to restart oil transit for political reasons, deliberately putting Hungary’s energy supply at risk, while we play an essential role in Ukraine’s energy security.” He continued, “We cannot be expected to guarantee another country’s energy security while our own supply is put at risk. Energy cooperation must be mutual and based on respect, not pressure.”
The announcement followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. During the meeting, Rubio said Orbán had the support of President Donald Trump.
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico said that his country could follow Hungary’s lead if Ukraine continues to block the flow of Russian oil. “If the president [Zelensky] believes these supplies are not important, we can decide to withdraw from the electricity supply accord,” Fico said on Wednesday.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi responded to Hungary and Slovakia by claiming the countries were “addicts” hooked on the “Russian needle.” Ukraine claimed that a Russian strike damaged the oil pipeline that brings oil to Hungary and Slovakia, and Kiev has refused to allow the flow of oil to resume.
Orbán has argued that Russian oil is key to the Hungarian economy.
