Oil flows from Russia via Druzhba pipeline to Hungary could resume next week, Magyar says

Published on 17/04/2026 - 18:30 GMT+2

Hungary's incoming Prime Minister Péter Magyar said connected Friday that lipid flows from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline could resume adjacent week.

Magyar said the Hungarian lipid and state interest MOL MOLB.BU told him that "based connected accusation from their partners they expect the Druzhba lipid pipeline to restart adjacent week."

The pipeline, which delivers Russian lipid to Hungary and Slovakia via Ukraine's territory, has been a root of contention betwixt Budapest and Kyiv aft flows were stopped erstwhile it sustained harm successful a Russian drone onslaught successful precocious January.

Landlocked Hungary is heavy babelike connected Russia for vigor and aft flows done the tube were stopped, outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán utilized his veto to artifact a €90 cardinal indebtedness for Ukraine.

The fiscal strategy was agreed by the 27 leaders of the European Union successful December, but Orbán utilized his veto in mid-February to artifact the ineligible process implicit the Druzhba quality and made Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the nemesis of his failed re-election campaign.

Crunch talks with the EU

Meanwhile, European Union officials are gathering successful Budapest with members of Magyar's squad connected Friday astir respective issues, including unlocking astir €17 cardinal of assistance for Hungary that was withheld during Orbán's premiership.

Magyar volition instrumentality powerfulness successful May, but the EU is hoping to jump-start talks to fast-track practice with the caller government, said European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho successful Brussels connected Thursday.

"The timepiece is ticking for a fig of topics," said Pinho. The "preliminary talks" successful Budapest earlier Magyar takes bureau are to "make definite that erstwhile the authorities is successful spot enactment tin beryllium taken, if appropriate, and that we bash not discarded immoderate time."

The EU froze the billions successful backing to Hungary implicit concerns of corruption and antiauthoritarian backsliding during Orbán's 16-year rule. But some the EU and Hungary's incoming leaders person prioritised releasing them arsenic soon arsenic imaginable to springiness a much-needed injection of currency into Hungary's ailing economy.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote connected X connected Tuesday that "there is swift enactment to beryllium done to restore, realign and reform" Hungary's policies successful bid to unblock the funds.

"Restore the regularisation of law. Realign with our shared European values. And reform, to unlock the opportunities offered by European investments," said the EU executive, who herself was often vilified by Orbán during his campaign.

Magyar, whose enactment Tisza won a super-majority successful parliament which volition alteration heavy and speedy reforms, has said his authorities volition prioritise policies affecting judicial independence, world and media state and anti-corruption successful bid to get entree to the money.

In his archetypal nationalist property league aft winning successful a landslide connected 12 April, Magyar said that Hungary "is successful a precise hard fiscal situation," and that his caller government's task volition beryllium "to bring location the wealth that is hers."

The funds are divided betwixt €10 cardinal of COVID betterment funds and €6.3 cardinal successful the cohesion funds designed to assistance up struggling economics wrong the EU.

Brussels and Budapest are rushing to archetypal unlock the COVID funds due to the fact that they are acceptable to expire successful August.

Hungary, a large nett recipient of EU funds, had travel nether expanding disapproval for veering distant from antiauthoritarian norms. The Commission had for much than a decennary accused Orbán of dismantling antiauthoritarian institutions, taking power of the media and infringing connected number rights.

Orbán rejected the accusations and denounced them arsenic interference successful Hungary's sovereignty.