Zelenskyy Urges Orbán to Press Putin on Energy Issues, EU Accuses Hungary of Disloyal Cooperation
Orbán Seeks Continued Russian Energy Supply Amid Ukraine Loan Dispute
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday, November 28, 2025, seeking to secure continued supplies of Russian oil and gas, according to reports. The meeting comes as Hungary faces increasing pressure from the European Union over its veto of a €90 billion loan to Ukraine.
Orbán is widely considered Putin’s closest partner among EU leaders and Hungary remains one of the few EU countries still heavily reliant on Russian fossil fuels. He has consistently opposed efforts to reduce the bloc’s dependence on Russian energy, a stance that has drawn criticism from other member states.
During a joint press conference with António Costa, the President of the European Council, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Orbán of effectively supporting Putin by blocking Ukraine’s path to EU membership. “I would not want Viktor Orbán to continue supporting Russia, because blocking Ukraine’s EU accession is a very concrete form of support for Putin on Orbán’s part,” Zelenskyy stated, as reported by Unian.
The dispute centers on the resumption of oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine to Slovakia and Hungary. Ukraine delayed the restart of shipments by one day, promising to reopen the pipeline on Wednesday, February 26, 2026. Hungary had threatened to block the EU loan to Ukraine if oil transit wasn’t restored, a move described as a new level of leveraging by some observers.
Zelenskyy countered that Russia damaged the pipeline and therefore should be held responsible for repairs, not Ukraine. He also pointed out that this wasn’t the first such incident and expressed concerns it wouldn’t be the last. He stated Ukraine has evidence to support its claims. According to Zelenskyy, whenever repair crews approach the pipeline, they become targets of Russian attacks, questioning the logic of restoring it.
He suggested an alternative route through a pipeline operated by Janaf in Croatia, which supports the transport of non-Russian oil to Hungary and Serbia. The Croatian side has indicated it supports this option.
Costa, addressing the situation, stated that “Hungary is violating the principle of loyal cooperation.” He called on Hungary to begin cooperating to find a solution, in line with a decision made by the European Council on December 18th. Costa also indicated the EU has tools to address the situation and avoid being “blackmailed” by individual member states.
Von der Leyen acknowledged that unanimous agreement is required for new economic sanctions against Russia, but expressed confidence that a 20th package of sanctions would eventually be approved, stating it was “only a matter of time.”
Zelenskyy, speaking to the European Parliament, had hoped to secure a firm date for Ukraine’s EU accession, but Von der Leyen indicated that setting dates was not possible, emphasizing that the process would be based on merit.
The Hungarian government also blocked new economic sanctions that were intended to be approved on the anniversary of the war.