Hungary, Slovakia spar with Ukraine over Druzhba pipeline
Deutsche Welle
February 24, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Hungary, Slovakia, and Ukraine are embroiled in a heated dispute over the Druzhba pipeline, a key conduit for Russian oil to Central Europe. The pipeline has been offline since January, with Ukraine attributing the disruption to a Russian drone strike. However, Hungary and Slovakia accuse Ukraine of deliberately blocking supplies for political reasons. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claims the outage is a "Ukrainian oil blockade" aimed at inflating fuel prices ahead of his country's elections. Similarly, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico describes the stoppage as a political move targeting Slovakia's stance on the war in Ukraine.
The Druzhba pipeline, built in 1964 during the Soviet era, is one of the world’s largest oil networks, stretching from West Siberia to Europe via Belarus and Ukraine. It splits into two branches: one serving Poland and Germany, and the other supplying Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022
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Originally published on Deutsche Welle on 2/24/2026