Ukraine extends olive branches to Hungary: oil shipments, minority rights, cooperation – normalisation underway?

It appears that only the downfall of Viktor Orbán was required to set Hungarian-Ukrainian relations on the path to normalisation, at least in rhetorical terms. Kyiv is offering a series of gestures, the latest being President Zelenskyy’s announcement that shipments along the Druzhba oil pipeline will soon resume.

Ukraine’s announcement arrives not a moment too soon amid Hungary’s fuel crisis

Ukrainian engineers will complete repairs to the Druzhba pipeline—damaged in a Russian attack—by the end of April, Zelenskyy declared on Tuesday during a joint press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “Not all the tanks will be fully repaired, as that is a lengthy process, but this is not the point right now,” the president remarked, stressing that the pipeline would be operational once more.

The news could scarcely be more timely, with Hungary’s strategic stocks of fuel and oil having plunged to historic lows last month. According to the Hungarian Petroleum Stockpiling Association (MSZKSZ), crude reserves have hit depths unseen since 2015, while stocks of refined products are perilously low; domestic consumption has outstripped domestic production and imports for weeks.

Depleted stockpiles in just one month:

• Three-quarters of diesel gone;
• 80% of petrol vanished;
• One-sixth of crude oil exhausted.

Kerosene levels held steady at 12.8 kilotonnes, as at the end of January.

Péter Magyar responds in kind

Zelenskyy’s statement is thus a welcome development, though the Ukrainian leader added that it comes with expectations: Budapest’s incoming government must back vital decisions for Kyiv. He cautioned, however, that it remains unclear whether Russia will refrain from further strikes on the pipeline’s Ukrainian stretch.

Magyar, the presumptive prime minister, has already extended his own olive branch: unlike Orbán, who initially approved but later withdrew support for political gain, he accepts the EUR 90 billion loan package for Ukraine. That said, Hungary cannot participate in disbursing it, a scarcely surprising stance given straitened public finances.

Nonetheless, Magyar made clear that his administration opposes fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU membership; should Kyiv meet all conditions, a referendum on accession would follow.

Ukraine knows what is expected

On foreign policy, Magyar emphasised on Monday that his government would pursue alliance, even friendship, with all neighbours, not least to safeguard the Hungarian minority abroad. Normalising ties with Ukraine, he added, hinges on addressing that community’s rights: a point well understood in Kyiv.

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In reply, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha signalled on Monday that Ukraine stands ready to apply the highest European standards on minority protections and is open to dialogue with Hungary’s new leadership. Numerous issues require discussion, from seized Ukrainian gold reserves to adopting the 20th sanctions package.

Kyiv has also taken immediate steps: on Monday, it withdrew guidance discouraging citizens from travelling to Hungary amid perceived electoral provocations. Zelenskyy himself wrote on Sunday of Ukraine’s enduring pursuit of good-neighbourly ties with Budapest. Magyar responded that he would soon meet the president, perhaps at the European Council if nowhere else.

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