In a statement posted on X late Saturday, Ukraine’s foreign ministry blasted the actions as “irresponsible,” saying they risked exacerbating the growing energy crisis that has followed months of Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian grids and power stations, leaving thousands of Ukrainians without heat and electricity in the depths of winter.
“Such actions, in the context of massive and targeted Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and Moscow’s attempts to deprive Ukrainians of electricity, heating, and gas during extreme cold weather, are provocative, irresponsible, and threaten the energy security of the entire region,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“In doing so, the governments of Hungary and Slovakia are not only playing into the hands of the aggressor, but also harming their own energy companies that supply energy on a commercial basis.”
Kyiv said it is also considering activating emergency energy supply measures under Ukraine’s association agreement with the EU.
The European Commission has called an emergency meeting of the Oil Coordination Group for Wednesday to address a growing dispute over the Druzhba oil pipeline.
The 4,000-kilometer Druzhba pipeline — which runs from eastern Russia into Central Europe — is a key source of oil for both Slovakia and Hungary, both of which are exempt from EU sanctions on imports of Russian refined oil.