Mar 3, 2026
Hungary's MOL announced that it received Ukrainian oil through the Druzhba pipeline following an attack.
Hungary's MOL imported approximately 35,000 tons of Ukrainian crude oil through the Druzhba pipeline at the request of Kyiv following a strike and fire near the pipeline in late January, according to executive chairman Zsolt Hernadi in an interview with ATV.
Ukrainian officials have not yet responded to requests for comments on this matter.
Oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia, the only EU nations still importing Russian oil, have been halted since January 27 due to what Kyiv claims was a Russian attack on pumping facilities in western Ukraine. Both Hungary and Slovakia assert that Ukraine is intentionally keeping the pipeline inactive for political reasons, which has led Budapest to veto new EU sanctions against Russia. In contrast, Ukraine argues that the repair process is taking longer than anticipated.
Last week, Reuters reported, citing three industry sources, that prior to the damage, the Druzhba pipeline was exporting some Ukrainian oil along with significantly larger quantities of Russian crude. Hernadi mentioned that MOL believes the pipeline itself did not sustain any damage.
"When the fire occurred...other storage facilities started to transfer Ukrainian crude into the pipeline. Our Ukrainian partners asked us to handle this oil to prevent the situation and fire from worsening," Hernadi stated in an interview on Monday. "We took 35,000 tons of Ukrainian crude which arrived through the Druzhba pipeline over a span of 2-3 days."
Ukraine’s embassy in Budapest issued a statement on Monday indicating that "the possibility and timing of repairs to the pipeline depend entirely on security conditions," given that Russia continues its attacks.
Hernadi explained that the capacity of the Adriatic pipeline, which serves as an alternative to the Druzhba for seaborne oil shipments from Croatia, would undergo repeated testing this year. He added that MOL's primary Hungarian refinery is currently operating at about 40% below capacity due to a fire last year, a situation that is expected to persist until August.
Ukrainian officials have not yet responded to requests for comments on this matter.
Oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia, the only EU nations still importing Russian oil, have been halted since January 27 due to what Kyiv claims was a Russian attack on pumping facilities in western Ukraine. Both Hungary and Slovakia assert that Ukraine is intentionally keeping the pipeline inactive for political reasons, which has led Budapest to veto new EU sanctions against Russia. In contrast, Ukraine argues that the repair process is taking longer than anticipated.
Last week, Reuters reported, citing three industry sources, that prior to the damage, the Druzhba pipeline was exporting some Ukrainian oil along with significantly larger quantities of Russian crude. Hernadi mentioned that MOL believes the pipeline itself did not sustain any damage.
"When the fire occurred...other storage facilities started to transfer Ukrainian crude into the pipeline. Our Ukrainian partners asked us to handle this oil to prevent the situation and fire from worsening," Hernadi stated in an interview on Monday. "We took 35,000 tons of Ukrainian crude which arrived through the Druzhba pipeline over a span of 2-3 days."
Ukraine’s embassy in Budapest issued a statement on Monday indicating that "the possibility and timing of repairs to the pipeline depend entirely on security conditions," given that Russia continues its attacks.
Hernadi explained that the capacity of the Adriatic pipeline, which serves as an alternative to the Druzhba for seaborne oil shipments from Croatia, would undergo repeated testing this year. He added that MOL's primary Hungarian refinery is currently operating at about 40% below capacity due to a fire last year, a situation that is expected to persist until August.