BUDAPEST, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Hungary has suspended diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine with immediate effect and will not resume shipments until crude oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline is restored, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said here on Wednesday.
The suspension will remain in place until Ukraine restarts crude oil deliveries to Hungary through the pipeline, Szijjarto told a press conference following a government meeting.
According to the minister, crude oil transit was halted on Jan. 27.
The Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian oil through Ukraine to Central Europe, has faced repeated disruptions since last year due to damage to energy infrastructure amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Despite suspending diesel exports, Szijjarto stressed that Hungary's domestic energy supply remains secure. The country holds strategic reserves sufficient for more than three months, and authorities have begun assessing the possible use of these stocks.
He added that Hungary and Slovakia, both reliant on the pipeline, have notified the European Commission of their intention to invoke European Union provisions that allow seaborne imports of Russian crude oil if pipeline supplies are disrupted.
Hungarian energy company MOL has already ordered the necessary volumes for maritime delivery. Shipments arriving via Croatia could be available by mid-March, provided relevant EU regulations are applied, the minister said.
In a related post on social media on Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban described Ukraine's actions as "blackmailing Hungary" and assured the public that the country's crude oil supply remains stable despite current challenges. ■
