Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the Ukrainian government's refusal to meet Hungarian experts in Kiev to discuss the status of the Druzhba oil pipeline is unreasonable.
Mr. Orbán posted a video recording a phone conversation with the head of the Hungarian delegation - Deputy Minister of Energy Gábor Czepek, who is currently in Kiev.
In the phone call, the Hungarian delegation leader said that the expert delegation had been arranged to conduct consultations with US lawyers and European diplomats in Kiev, but Ukrainian officials still did not want to meet them.
It is absurd that he is in Kiev and can negotiate with anyone, except the Ukrainian side," Prime Minister Orbán said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán asked Deputy Minister Czepek to continue to find ways to hold a meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and inspect some infrastructure of the Druzhba oil pipeline. He also suggested conveying a message to Kiev that Hungary "wants to resolve this situation".
We are not seeking conflict. We are looking for solutions and want to help them do that" - Mr. Orbán emphasized in a video broadcast on Hungarian television channels.
Previously, Politico reported that Hungary confirmed that a government delegation had gone to Ukraine on March 11 to investigate the damage to an important oil pipeline that disrupted Russia's oil supply to the country.
However, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said that the Hungarian group did not have formal qualifications and entered the country "as tourists". He noted that calling this group an "official delegation" is inaccurate.
Hungarian Deputy Minister of Energy Gábor Czepek announced the mission at the Záhony border gate on the morning of March 11. "Hungary does not accept the suspension of the Druzhba pipeline" - Mr. Czepek said, emphasizing that the delegation's mission is to verify the pipeline's status and "create the necessary conditions for restarting".
According to him, the Druzhba oil pipeline transports about 5 million tons of Russian oil to Hungary each year and plays a key role in supplying raw materials for the Danube refinery.
The Hungarian delegation also includes Slovakian experts.
The southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline has been discontinued since the end of January 2026 after a Russian drone attack on oil infrastructure near the energy center in western Ukraine in Brody.
Ukrainian officials said the attack caused serious damage and repairs would take a long time. However, Budapest rejected this assessment, saying that technical problems had been resolved and accusing Kiev of deliberately delaying the restart of the pipeline.
In recent weeks, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has increased pressure, released satellite images showing that the pipeline may resume operation, and informed Kiev of 3 days to allow inspectors to access the pipeline.
He also sent an open letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warning that Hungary could stop supplying diesel and restrict electricity exports if oil transportation through Druzhba is not resumed.
On March 6, Mr. Orbán announced the establishment of a joint Hungary - Slovakia investigation committee to clarify the situation of the Druzhba pipeline.
This development occurred in the context of rising global oil prices due to conflicts in the Middle East.
