Overview
- Viktor Orbán said he has written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for the suspension of sanctions on Russian energy, blaming a Ukrainian transit halt for higher fuel prices in Hungary.
- He announced an emergency government meeting on energy as he framed the Druzhba stoppage as a threat to Hungary, Slovakia and the wider EU.
- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said Slovakia is ready to "take up the baton from Hungary" and block the €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine if needed, and he plans to raise the pipeline issue with von der Leyen on March 10.
- Fico pressed for access to inspect the pipeline and claimed Slovak intelligence and satellite images show no damage, also alleging Zelensky could destroy the line, which are assertions reported as his statements rather than verified facts.
- Hungary has tied its veto of the EU loan to the resumption of Druzhba flows, while Ukraine says transit stopped after a January 27 Russian strike that requires repairs; Hungary and Slovakia have also halted diesel exports to Ukraine in retaliation.