\n<\/p>\n
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) \u2014 Hungary will gradually cut off gas supplies to Ukraine until Russian oil deliveries<\/a> resume through the Druzhba pipeline, Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Hungarian natural gas exports play a key role in fulfilling the energy needs of Ukraine, now in its fourth year of war with Russia.<\/p>\n Russian oil supplies to Hungary<\/a> and Slovakia have been halted for nearly two months after what Ukrainian officials say were Russian drone attacks<\/a> that damaged the pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory, and that continuous strikes risk the lives of technicians trying to repair it.<\/p>\n The populist leaders of Hungary and Slovakia have accused Ukraine of deliberately holding up Russian deliveries. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that he is reluctant to allow Russian oil<\/a> to continue transiting his country.<\/p>\n In a video posted on social media Wednesday, Orb\u00e1n called the Russian oil stoppage \u201cUkrainian blackmail,\u201d adding: \u201cAs long as Ukraine does not supply oil, it will not receive gas from Hungary.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that Hungary would use the gas instead to fill its own reserves.<\/p>\n There was no immediate comment from Kyiv and a Hungarian government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n Ukraine imports a major portion of its gas needs through Hungary, amounting to around 45% of all gas imports last year, according to Ukrainian energy consultancy EXPRO. That number dropped to 38% by January.<\/p>\n Orb\u00e1n’s announcement was the latest in a series of retaliatory measures Hungary has taken in response to interrupted Russian oil flows.<\/p>\n Last week, Orb\u00e1n, who is widely seen as the Kremlin\u2019s biggest advocate in the EU, blocked a 90-billion euro ($106 billion) EU loan<\/a> to Ukraine over the interruptions and vowed to veto any further pro-Ukraine decisions until oil flows resume.<\/p>\n The Hungarian leader previously ceased diesel shipments to Ukraine and vetoed a new round of EU sanctions against Russia.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, as he faces an unprecedented challenge from a center-right opponent in elections next month, Orb\u00e1n has escalated an aggressive anti-Ukraine campaign<\/a>, calling the country Hungary\u2019s \u201cenemy,\u201d and accusing Zelenskyy of seeking to provoke an energy crisis in order to sway the April 12 vote.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also deployed military forces<\/a> to key energy infrastructure sites across Hungary, accusing Ukraine of plotting disruptions but providing no evidence.<\/p>\n Hungary and Slovakia have received a temporary exemption from a European Union policy prohibiting imports of Russian oil<\/a> since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine<\/a> in February 2022.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n