Overview
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Wednesday Hungary would begin phasing out gas deliveries to Ukraine and keep the withheld volumes in domestic storage.
- Budapest is tying approval of a €90 billion European Union loan for Kyiv and parts of a new Russia sanctions package to the resumption of Russian crude flows through the Druzhba pipeline.
- A government decree published overnight Thursday bars pipeline operator FGSZ from offering transit capacity to Ukraine starting in July, a move experts say could trigger disputes over private transport contracts.
- A draft bipartisan bill disclosed Friday by U.S. senators Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis would sanction senior Hungarian officials for blocking Ukraine support and for deepening reliance on Russian energy, with relief possible if Hungary commits to a timed plan to wean off it.
- Ukraine says a Russian strike on January 27 damaged the Druzhba pumping station on its territory and repairs with EU technical help could take weeks, while data show Ukraine relied on Hungary for roughly one‑third to nearly half of its gas imports in 2025–2026, leaving households and industry exposed if supplies shrink.