A Hungarian official, granted anonymity to speak freely, told POLITICO that Russian oil reached Hungary at 12:55 Thursday. Hungary had initially requested a delay to the EU’s technical briefing on the loan announcement until the delivery was confirmed.
The restart breaks a months-long standoff that had frozen the EU’s largest financial package for Kyiv. Hungary’s outgoing prime minister, Viktor Orbán, staunchly blocked the loan and said Budapest would only lift its veto when oil flows were restored.
POLITICO reported Wednesday that the deal hinged entirely on the pipeline. Five EU diplomats said Hungary and Slovakia had tied their support to oil physically reaching their territory, with ambassadors agreeing to move forward only once deliveries resumed.
“Some caution is needed as there might still be technical issues,” one diplomat said. But another predicted the restart would be enough, pointing to “very scientific calculations” of when oil would arrive.
Hungarian oil company MOL confirmed the crude was flowing shortly after Sáková’s announcement. In a note to investors seen by POLITICO, the energy company said the pipeline’s supply to pumping stations in Fényeslitke, in northern Hungary, and Budkovce, in eastern Slovakia, had been restored.
With flows now underway, the condition set by Hungary appears to have been met — clearing the way for the EU to move ahead with the loan.
If ministers sign off this week, Kyiv could start seeing the money as early as May, offering a much-needed boost to its war-strained economy as it continues to fight Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year.
This story has been updated.