Hungary Seeks Croatian Assistance After Russian Oil Supply Disruption

Hungary's Request for Energy Support

BUDAPEST, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Hungary and Slovakia have asked Croatia to help to deliver Russian oil, Hungary's foreign minister said on Monday, after disruption to flows via Ukraine and conflicting accusations of blame.

A Russian attack on the Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine on January 27 knocked out flows to Eastern Europe, Kyiv's foreign ministry said on Thursday. 

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted a photo on X of firefighters and what he said was Druzhba pipeline infrastructure burning, adding that Hungary had not publicly commented on the incident because Russia was to blame.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto on Monday rejected Kyiv's assertions, saying that Ukraine had not resumed oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline for political reasons, adding that he and Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova had sought Croatia's help to source Russian oil.  

Impact of the Druzhba Pipeline Attack

"We request Croatia to enable the transport of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Adria pipeline, as our sanctions exemption provides the possibility to import Russian oil by sea if pipeline deliveries are disrupted," Szijarto wrote on X. 

"The security of a country's energy supply must never be an ideological issue. We therefore expect Croatia, unlike Ukraine, not to endanger the oil supply security of Hungary and Slovakia for political reasons."

Kyiv has not responded to Szijarto's comments and state-owned Ukrainian oil and gas company Naftogaz did not respond to requests for immediate comment.

Croatian Economy Minister Ante Susnjar suggested his country would be able to comply with Hungary's request.

Croatia's Response to Hungary's Request

"Croatia will not allow Central Europe’s fuel supply to be endangered. We are ready to help solve the acute disruption," he said, adding that its cooperation would comply with EU law and the regulations of the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Political Context of Energy Supply

Hungary and Slovakia rely on Russian oil and gas and have fought European Union moves to end those flows as part of efforts to cut off energy revenue funding Russia's war in Ukraine. 

Hungary's Ties with Russia

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, meanwhile, has maintained strong ties with Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and also opposes Kyiv joining the European Union. He has also forged ties with U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet Orban on Monday, having visited Slovakia on Sunday, where energy was among the topics he discussed with Prime Minister Robert Fico and President Peter Pellegrini. 

The Kremlin said on Monday that it agreed with Fico, who has accused Ukraine of holding up the restart of the Druzhba pipeline to try to pressure Hungary to drop its opposition to Ukraine's potential future membership of the EU.

(Reporting by Anita KomuvesWriting by Anna Wlodarczak-SemczukEditing by David Goodman)