Overview
- Ukraine denied official status to a Hungarian delegation led by Energy State Secretary Gábor Czepek that sought to inspect the Druzhba pipeline in Kyiv.
- The pipeline carrying Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia has been shut since a Jan. 27 drone strike, with Kyiv saying repairs could take weeks and some reconstruction months.
- Hungary has halted new EU sanctions and is blocking the debt issuance needed for the approved €90 billion loan to Ukraine, a veto Orbán has linked to resuming oil flows.
- Zelenski accused Orbán of blackmail and aligning with Vladimir Putin and called on the EU to prepare a “plan B” to sustain Ukraine’s funding.
- Hungarian authorities detained seven Ukrainians and seized about $82 million in cash and gold from two armored vehicles, a move Kyiv says was illegal and involved Oschadbank employees.