A new survey by Századvég shows that 89% of adults in Hungary have heard that Ukraine has shut down the Druzhba oil pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia, which means that Russian oil is no longer coming here. With this move, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is presumably attempting to cause fuel supply disruptions and drastic price increases in order to interfere in the Hungarian elections and bring a pro-Ukrainian government to power. This attempt to exert political pressure has provoked significant resistance among Hungarians: almost three-quarters of those who have an opinion disagree with the move.
With the oil blockade, the Ukrainian leadership violated the association agreement between the EU and Ukraine, so the European Commission should intervene on the side of Hungary and Slovakia in this matter. However, Brussels seems to be assisting Zelensky’s political action, which can be partly explained by the fact that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would completely ban Russian energy sources in the EU even if it meant significant price increases and risks to supply security. The survey shows that 62% of Hungarians disagree with Brussels’ efforts.
All signs indicate that the Commission also wants to influence the outcome of the Hungarian elections, because it believes that a change of government could remove the obstacle to Ursula von der Leyen’s main objectives, namely Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the EU, its armament and financing as well as the ban on Russian energy sources. It is telling that, according to leaked information, Brussels may schedule the presentation of its oil embargo proposal for 15 April because it is confident that the new Hungarian government will easily approve the measure. The survey results show that Hungarians see through the smokescreen: two-thirds of them are aware of what Ukraine and Brussels are up to, and most of them also realise that they want to use the Hungarian opposition to achieve their goals.
CATI method, n = 1,000, among adult Hungarians, February 2026
