Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 26, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleHungary’s Viktor Orban urged an EU fact‑finding mission to check Druzhba pipeline damage in Ukraine. He suggested verification could help unlock EU funding as oil flows remain halted.
BRUSSELS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday asked the EU for a "fact-finding mission" to assess damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline in Ukraine, and suggested this could help unblock new EU funding to Ukraine, a letter seen by Reuters showed.
"Hungary supports the idea of a fact-finding mission with the participation of experts delegated by Hungary and Slovakia to verify the status of the Druzhba pipeline," Orban said in a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, seen by Reuters.
Orban said he was aware of the political difficulties caused by the delay to a massive EU loan to Ukraine. "My imitative also aims at facilitating the timeline resolution of this issue," the letter said.
Hungary this week blocked new sanctions on Russia and the loan to Ukraine, in response to the stoppage of oil flows through Druzhba. Ukraine says the pipeline has not yet been repaired following damage by Russian strikes in late January.
(Reporting by Kate Abnett, Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout)
Hungarian PM Viktor Orban asked the EU to send a fact‑finding mission to verify damage to Ukraine’s Druzhba oil pipeline, linking the probe to potential release of EU funds for Kyiv.
It supplies Russian crude to EU members Hungary and Slovakia via Ukraine. Disruptions affect regional energy security and oil market dynamics.
Orban suggested that independent verification of the pipeline’s status could help remove Hungary’s objections and clear the way for new EU financial support to Ukraine.
Explore more articles in the Finance category
