BUDAPEST, February 18. /TASS/. Hungarian authorities intend to increase oil supplies via the Adriatic pipeline through Croatia due to Ukraine's blocking of Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto announced.
He stressed that the existence of these two routes has always served as a guarantee of the country's energy security.
The Adriatic pipeline, which runs from the Croatian port of Omisalj northeastward toward Hungary and Slovakia, has always been viewed by the Hungarian government as a secondary pipeline.
"In 2025, the country imported about 4.9 million tons of oil via the Druzhba pipeline, while it imported 400,000 tons via the Adriatic pipeline, which clearly demonstrates the ratio between the two," Szijjarto said at a cabinet meeting discussing the supply of crude oil to the Hungarian company MOL's refineries. Excerpts from his speech were broadcast by the M1 television channel.
Szijjarto recalled that Hungary together with Slovakia had asked Croatia to allow the transportation of Russian oil via the Adriatic pipeline, which would be delivered by sea. According to him, MOL has already placed an order for the first batch of 500,000 tons.
According to the International Energy Agency, the Adriatic pipeline's capacity in Hungary is 10 million tons per year, while in Slovakia it's approximately 3.7 million tons. However, Hungary has repeatedly expressed doubts about the pipeline's ability to operate reliably under high loads and has proposed that the Croatian government take steps to upgrade it.
In addition to that there have been significant disagreements between the two countries over tariffs for oil transit along the Adriatic route. These issues remain on the agenda and will likely be discussed by the parties when deciding on the transportation of oil from Russia. At the same time, Budapest stresses that seaborne shipments of Russian crude to Croatia do not violate EU regulations, as Hungary and Slovakia are exempt from sanctions bans on oil purchases from Russia.