Hungary’s prime minister escalates rhetoric in the election campaign by accusing Ukraine of planning attacks on Hungary’s energy infrastructure and signaling potential military steps to defend critical facilities, centered on the Druzhba oil pipeline that serves Hungary and Slovakia.

Budapest blocks further EU sanctions on Russia and says it will not back Ukraine-related decisions until the Druzhba dispute is resolved.

A drone ban near the Ukrainian border in the Szatmar-Szabolcs-Bereg region is introduced to deter incursions near essential energy facilities.

Observers frame the episode as part of a broader pattern of energy-security tensions, political brinkmanship among EU states, and growing defensive collaboration across Eastern Europe.

The European Commission convened an Oil Coordination Group to assess options, noting no immediate risk to EU oil supply and highlighting possible use of the Adriatic pipeline through Croatia; Croatia is weighing legal options to move Russian crude under sanctions.

Ukraine, Romania, and Moldova form a trilateral Cyber Alliance to bolster defenses against cyber and hybrid threats amid regional strains.

In Washington, Hungary’s Szijjártó and Serbia’s Dubravka Handanović discussed accelerating preparatory work on a regional oil pipeline project at an international energy conference.

Polls ahead of the April parliamentary election show Fidesz slipping relative to the opposition Tisza bloc, signaling a tighter race.

EU officials insist Hungary and Slovakia currently have secure oil supplies via alternative routes, including the Adriatic pipeline, countering Budapest’s warnings.

Szijjártó says MOL plans to buy Serbia’s NIS and gain Gazprom’s majority stake to coordinate oil markets across Slovakia, Hungary, and Serbia.

The dispute adds strain to Hungary–Ukraine relations amid broader Central European energy dependence and regional geopolitics.

Slovakia declares an oil emergency and borrows oil reserves to mitigate disruption, with both governments disputing responsibility for the halt.