Hungary FM: New Hungary–Serbia Diesel Pipeline Sends Firm Warning to Ukraine

According to an announcement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Serbia’s oil company NIS is prepared to deliver 25,000 tons of diesel fuel to Hungary. Péter Szijjártó emphasized that thanks to Hungarian-Serbian cooperation, Hungary will be able to counter pressure from Brussels and Kyiv.

Szijjártó Péter (Fotó: AFP)

Szijjarto explained that the project will proceed in two stages: first, a pipeline will be built between Szazhalombatta and the Hungarian-Serbian border, followed by an increase in the capacity of the Hungarian section of the Friendship (Druzhba) pipeline, while Serbia will construct its own segment.

He added that the two countries have now decided to go even further.

“We are ready to build another pipeline alongside the oil pipeline. This will be a refined-product pipeline, enabling semi-processed oil products necessary for gasoline and diesel production to be transported as quickly as possible between the two countries. This will strengthen fuel, diesel, and gasoline supply security in both Hungary and Serbia,” he said.

Szijjarto emphasized that the oil, gasoline, and diesel markets of three landlocked countries—Slovakia, Hungary, and Serbia—will be able to operate in coordination, making them significantly more resilient to what he described as Ukrainian-style pressure.

The minister also noted that difficult situations reveal who can rely on whom.

“When our Serbian friends faced difficulties due to sanctions affecting NIS, Hungary’s MOL more than doubled its fuel exports to Serbia to prevent supply disruptions. Now NIS has indicated that starting in March, it is ready to deliver 25,000 tons of diesel fuel to Hungary to strengthen supply security and jointly thwart Ukraine’s objective of causing an oil supply crisis in Hungary and interfering in Hungary’s parliamentary elections,” he said.

Szijjarto added that Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly exposed themselves in recent days. First, the system operator informed MOL that the Druzhba pipeline was fully ready to resume transit. Later, members of the Kyiv government made clear they would not accept Hungarian, Slovak, or even European Union experts to verify their claims.

He pointed out that the situation demonstrates how landlocked countries can be vulnerable to energy supply pressure, which is why Hungary’s objective is to reduce the leverage of Kyiv and Brussels. One of the most effective tools for achieving this, he said, would be MOL’s acquisition of Serbia’s NIS oil company.

“By MOL acquiring the Serbian oil company, by building the Hungarian-Serbian oil pipeline, and by preparing to construct a refined-product pipeline alongside it, we are securing protection for ourselves in the coming years against Ukrainian-style blackmail,” he stressed.

He added that negotiations are progressing well, with MOL and the Russian owner already reaching agreement. Consultations with the U.S. government are ongoing to secure approval from the American sanctions authority. Meanwhile, preparations are underway for a Hungarian-Serbian intergovernmental agreement on energy cooperation, which will ensure that the refineries in Bratislava, Szazhalombatta, and Pancevo operate in a coordinated manner, strengthening the resilience of all three countries to external pressure.

“With Hungarian-Serbian cooperation, we will counter Ukraine’s attempts at blackmail and prevent Ukraine from causing oil supply disruptions in Hungary,” Szijjarto declared.

“We are sending a message to Ukraine that it is not worth trying to pressure either the Serbs or the Hungarians. We are not new to this, and it would be better for them to try elsewhere—not with us,” he concluded.

Cover photo: Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Photo: AFP)