Last Russian Oil Supplies to EU Halted. Russia Itself Damaged the Pipeline
Supplies to Hungary and Slovakia, which were the last EU countries to receive Russian oil, were interrupted after a Russian airstrike on the "Druzhba" (Friendship) oil pipeline running through Ukraine. Hungary and Slovakia are now asking Croatia for help with pipeline supplies, but sea exports to the EU have been banned since December 2022, writes The Moscow Times.
Illustrative image. Photo: Janos Kummer / Getty Images
Until now, Hungary received about 150,000 barrels of oil per day, while previously the average volume of supplies in the first two months of 2022–2025 was about 200,000 barrels.
After the Russian airstrike, Ukraine showed photographs of the burning oil pipeline, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha sarcastically remarked that Hungary could complain about the disruptions by showing these photos to its "friends" in Moscow.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Ukraine of allegedly not resuming the transit of Russian oil due to political reasons. He and Slovakia's Minister of Economy appealed to Croatia with a request to ensure their supplies via the Adria pipeline. This pipeline runs through Croatia to the Adriatic Sea, allowing oil to be brought by tankers and pumped into Hungary and Slovakia.
However, maritime export of Russian oil to the EU has been banned since December 2022, and an exception for Hungary and Slovakia was made only for pipeline supplies.
Previously, Hungary had a negative stance on Adria supplies, citing insufficient capacity and high transit fees. The Croatian government, however, denies these accusations, stating that the pipeline can provide the necessary volumes at any time. Croatian Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar declared that Hungary's accusations are "100% untrue" and that supplies could have been arranged quickly.
Experts note that the Orbán government is not interested in abandoning Russian oil, as it affects budget revenues. While the EU reduced its share of Russian oil from 26% in 2021 to 3%, Hungary, conversely, increased its share from 61% to 86%, and Slovakia depends on Russian oil by a full 100%.
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