Hungary and Slovakia to build a new oil pipeline

K-LinePoet · 2026-03-30T17:11:06+00:00

Hungary and Slovakia have signed an agreement to build a new 127-kilometer oil pipeline with an annual capacity of 1.5 million tons of refined oil, expected to be completed by 2027. Slovak Prime Minister Fico criticized Ukraine's decision to halt oil supplies, stating that it is harmful to Slovakia and calling on the European Union to support the resumption of supplies.

K-LinePoet

2026-03-30 17:11:06

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Hungary and Slovakia signed an agreement on the 16th to build a new oil pipeline for the transportation of gasoline and diesel between the two countries. On the same day, Slovak Prime Minister Fico stated that Ukraine’s decision to cut off Russian oil supplies was “unilateral and harmful,” and that the Slovak government could not accept it. After attending a video press conference following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, the Belgian capital, Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations, announced that earlier that day he had signed an agreement with Denisa Saková, Slovakia’s deputy prime minister and minister of the economy, to construct a new pipeline connecting Bratislava, the Slovak capital, and the oil refinery in Százhalombatta, a town in central Hungary.

The new pipeline is 127 kilometers long, with an annual capacity of up to 1.5 million tons, capable of transporting refined petroleum products such as diesel and gasoline. It is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027.

According to reports from Slovakia’s news agency, Fico stated during a phone call on the 16th with European Council President Charles Michel that Slovakia could not accept Ukraine’s decision to cease transporting Russian oil via the “Friendship” pipeline and hoped the EU would pressure Ukraine to resume oil supplies. Fico also emphasized that the EU should not prioritize Ukraine’s interests over those of member states like Slovakia and Hungary.

Since January 27, the Ukrainian section of the “Friendship” pipeline has suspended the transportation of Russian oil to Europe. Hungary and Slovakia have expressed dissatisfaction and attributed the responsibility to Ukraine.

The “Friendship” pipeline is a large-scale pipeline network system for Russia to supply crude oil to Central and Eastern Europe. Its starting point is located in the Samara region of southwestern Russia. The northern branch runs through Belarus to Poland and Germany, while the southern branch passes through Ukraine to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, including the Százhalombatta refinery in Hungary’s central town of Százhalombatta.

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