Hungary to curb gas flows to Ukraine until Druzhba oil flows resume, Orban says

Core Viewpoint - Hungary will gradually halt natural gas deliveries to Ukraine until the Druzhba oil pipeline resumes operations, escalating tensions over energy supplies disrupted by the ongoing conflict [1][5]. Group 1: Hungary's Actions - Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced the decision to stop gas shipments to Ukraine, stating that any remaining gas will be stored in Hungary [3]. - Hungary's gas shipments to Ukraine were reported to continue on the morning of the announcement, with 8.3 million cubic meters (mcm) scheduled for delivery on that day [3][4]. Group 2: Pipeline Situation - The Druzhba oil pipeline, which supplies crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia, is currently experiencing outages, with both countries blaming Ukraine for the disruption [2]. - Ukraine claims that the pipeline was damaged by a Russian drone attack in late January and is working to repair it as quickly as possible [2]. Group 3: Ukraine's Gas Imports - For March, Ukraine has contracted a total of 180 mcm of gas from Hungary, accounting for 28% of its total gas imports, down from 200 mcm (31%) in February [4]. - Ukraine plans to import a total of 25 mcm of gas from Eastern Europe on the day of the announcement [4]. Group 4: EU Relations and Support - European Union leaders were unable to persuade Orban to lift his blockade on a €90 billion ($104.36 billion) EU loan intended to assist Ukraine [5]. - EU experts have arrived in Ukraine to assess the condition of the Druzhba pipeline, with Ukraine indicating that the resumption of crude deliveries may take weeks [6].