Slovakia and Hungary vexed after Russian oil flows through Ukraine halted by alleged Russian drone strike final month.
Revealed On 21 Feb 2026
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has issued Ukraine a two-day deadline to renew the pumping of Russian oil by way of its territory, threatening to chop off electrical energy to the war-torn nation if this demand isn’t met.
Fico issued his ultimatum to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, warning on X that he would ask state-owned firm SEPS to halt emergency provides of electrical energy if flows of Russian crude through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline crossing Ukraine are usually not resumed by Monday.
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Slovakia and neighbouring Hungary, which have each remained depending on Russian oil for the reason that Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine nearly 4 years in the past, have grow to be more and more vocal in demanding Kyiv resume deliveries by way of the pipeline, which was shut down after what Ukraine mentioned was a Russian drone strike hit infrastructure in late January.
The Slovak chief accused Zelenskyy of performing “maliciously” in direction of his nation, alluding to Ukraine’s earlier halting of Russian gas provides after a five-year-old transit settlement expired on January 1, 2025, which he claimed is costing Slovakia “damages of 500 million [euros; about $589m] per yr”.
Describing Zelenskyy’s actions as “unacceptable behaviour”, he mentioned that his refusal to “contain the Slovak Republic within the newest 90 billion euros ($105bn) navy mortgage for Ukraine” had been “completely right”.
Slovakia is a serious supply of European electrical energy for Ukraine, wanted as Russian assaults have broken its grid. Vitality sector specialists say Slovakia supplied 18 % of record-setting Ukrainian electrical energy imports final month.
EU mortgage in peril
Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic all opposed the interest-free European Union loan package, which was agreed to by the bloc’s member states again in December to assist Ukraine meet its navy and financial wants over the approaching two years.
Whereas the three nations opposed the package deal, which changed a contentious plan to make use of frozen Russian belongings that ran aground over authorized considerations, a compromise was reached during which they didn’t block the initiative and had been promised safety from any monetary fallout.
Nonetheless, as tensions mounted over the interrupted provide of Russian oil this week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban threatened on Friday to overturn December’s deal by vetoing the EU loan package deal.
“So long as Ukraine blocks the Druzhba pipeline, Hungary will block the 90‑billion-euro Ukrainian warfare mortgage. We is not going to be pushed round!” the Hungarian chief wrote on Fb.
Slovakia and Hungary each acquired a brief exemption from an EU coverage prohibiting imports of Russian oil over the warfare in Ukraine.
Ukraine responds
The Ukrainian Ministry of Overseas Affairs slammed Slovakia and Hungary on Saturday for what it known as their “ultimatums and blackmail” over power points, saying the 2 international locations are “taking part in into the arms of the aggressor [Russia]”.
The ministry mentioned that Ukraine had supplied data on the injury that resulted from “Russian assaults” on the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia, and that restore work is beneath approach.
Within the meantime, it mentioned, it has “additionally proposed other ways to resolve the problem of supplying non-Russian oil to those international locations”.
