Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia have been interrupted since January 27, after Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone attack damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude across Ukrainian territory and into central Europe.
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened on Saturday to cut off emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine unless Kyiv acts within two days to resume the pumping of Russian oil to Slovakia over Ukraine's territory.
"If oil supplies to Slovakia are not resumed on Monday, I will ask SEPS, the state-owned joint-stock company, to stop emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine," Fico said in a post on X.
Ukraine has angrily hit back at Hungary and Slovakia.
"Ukraine rejects and condemns the ultimatums and blackmail by the governments of Hungary and the Slovak Republic regarding energy supplies between our countries," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"Ultimatums should be sent to the Kremlin, and certainly not to Kyiv."
Hungary and Slovakia, which have both received a temporary exemption from an EU policy prohibiting imports of Russian oil, have accused Ukraine — without providing evidence — of deliberately holding up supplies.
In a video posted on social media Friday evening, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Ukraine of "blackmailing" Hungary by failing to restart oil shipments.
He said his government would block a massive interest-free loan the EU approved in December to help Kyiv to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years.
"We will not give in to this blackmail. We do not support Ukraine's war, we will not pay for it," Szijjártó said.
"As long as Ukraine blocks the resumption of oil supplies to Hungary, Hungary will block European Union decisions that are important and favourable for Ukraine."
Hungary's decision to block the key funding for Ukraine came two days after it suspended shipments of diesel to its embattled neighbour until oil flows through the Druzhba were resumed, and only days before the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Nearly every country in Europe has significantly reduced or entirely ceased Russian energy imports since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Yet Hungary — an EU and NATO member — has maintained and even increased its supply of Russian oil and gas.
Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long argued that Russian fossil fuels are indispensable for its economy and that switching to energy sourced from elsewhere would cause an immediate economic collapse — an argument some experts dispute.
Widely seen as the Kremlin's biggest advocate in the EU, Orbán has vigorously opposed the bloc's efforts to sanction Moscow over its invasion and blasted attempts to hit Russia's energy revenues that help finance the war.
His government has frequently threatened to veto EU efforts to assist Ukraine.
Not all of the EU's 27 countries agreed to take part in the 90-billion-euro ($A150 billion) loan package for Ukraine.
Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic opposed the plan, but a deal was reached in which they did not block the loan and were promised protection from any financial fallout.
with Reuters
