Orbán Threatens Ukraine's Power Grid Over Russian Oil
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- Orbán warned Hungary has 'other tools' beyond blocking EU aid, noting that '40% of Ukraine's electricity supply goes through Hungary' and 'we haven't touched that yet,'
- The day before the statement, Orbán blocked a 90-billion euro ($104-billion) EU loan to Ukraine that Kyiv needs to equip its armed forces and keep its economy running,
- Orbán also threatened to veto the EU's next seven-year budget if it includes financial aid for Ukraine, asserting Hungary 'will not' back new Russia sanctions requiring unanimity,
- Druzhba pipeline oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia — the only two EU countries still importing Russian crude — have been halted since January after a Russian drone strike damaged the pipeline's infrastructure,
- EU officials offered Ukraine technical support and funding to repair the pipeline on Tuesday, an offer Kyiv accepted, in a bid to persuade Orbán to lift his block on the loan,
- EU leaders on Thursday publicly criticized Orbán for undermining EU decision-making in what they characterized as an effort to win Hungary's April 12 election, expected to be the tightest of his career.
Why it matters: Hungary and Slovakia are the only EU members still importing Russian crude, giving Orbán a tangible domestic lever as he campaigns for reelection by framing himself as Europe's last guarantor of cheap energy and peace. By threatening to weaponize the 40% of Ukraine's electricity that transits Hungary, Orbán is escalating from financial obstruction to direct coercion — a move EU leaders say undermines the bloc's unity on Ukraine at a moment when Kyiv's military funding pipeline is already under strain.
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