Hungary Suspends Diesel Exports to Ukraine in Oil Dispute

Hungary and Slovakia have escalated a dispute with Ukraine over disrupted Russian oil supplies, with Budapest announcing on Wednesday that it will suspend diesel exports to Kyiv until the flow resumes through a key pipeline crossing Ukrainian territory. The standoff centers on the Druzhba pipeline, which has been halted since January 27 after Russian attacks damaged infrastructure in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. The two landlocked Central European nations, which rely heavily on the route for Russian crude, accuse Ukraine of imposing a deliberate political delay despite repairs being completed.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated in a social media video that the interruption stemmed from a decision by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "This is a political decision made by the Ukrainian president himself," Szijjártó said. Ukraine has rejected the claim, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Heorhii Tykhyi, describing the exemptions allowing Hungary and Slovakia to import Russian oil as temporary measures to help them transition away from Moscow's supplies. Tykhyi added that alternative sources exist but efforts to diversify have been lacking,...