Hungary's premier says due to Druzhba oil dispute he can't back EU decisions to help Ukraine

Hungary cannot support any EU decision favorable to Ukraine until oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary resumes, the nation's prime minister said in a letter to a key EU leader he made public on Tuesday.

In a Monday letter addressed to European Council President Antonio Costa, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said there are "no technical obstacles to restarting the oil transfer via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary" but that the matter requires "a political decision by Ukraine."

He said Hungary had previously supported financially favorable decisions for Ukraine within the EU framework but called the current situation untenable.

"As you are aware, I am one of the most disciplined and consistent members of the European Council. I fully understand your concerns. But you also certainly see the absurdity of the situation: we take a decision financially favourable to Ukraine that I personally disapprove, then Ukraine creates an energy emergency situation in Hungary, and you ask me to pretend that nothing happened," he wrote.

"This is not possible."

Orban added that he is "not in a position to support any decision whatsoever favourable to Ukraine until they return to normality."

The letter's release coincides with the fourth anniversary of the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

It also comes a day after the EU announced it was unable to reach a deal on a new package of sanctions on Russia over the war. Hungary and Slovakia have opposed the package.