What Caused the Shutdown
The trouble began on 27 January 2026, when a Russian drone strike hit the pipeline in western Ukraine, cutting off oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia almost immediately. The damage triggered a force majeure declaration by JSC Ukrtransnafta, the Ukrainian company responsible for operating that section of the pipeline, which formally suspended its obligations under the transit agreement. That status remained in place for nearly three months. During that time, outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — who was removed from office following elections on April 12 — along with the Slovak government, publicly accused Ukraine of dragging its feet on the repairs. Kyiv pushed back firmly, denying any deliberate delay. The dispute also spilled over into broader EU relations, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy linking the pipeline's reopening to a request for the EU to release a stalled 90 billion euro loan, equivalent to around $105.74 billion, that had been caught up in the disagreement.

Repairs Complete, Flows to Resume
JSC Ukrtransnafta formally notified MOL that all repair work had been finished and that force majeure conditions ceased as of 6 pm on 21 April 2026. In its statement, MOL confirmed it had received official word that the Ukrainian operator is ready to resume crude oil transit to both Hungary and Slovakia without further delay. The development also carries fresh political weight inside Hungary. Péter Magyar, who won the recent Hungarian elections, had already called on Zelenskyy earlier this week to reopen the pipeline as soon as it was operational and urged Russia to resume shipments through it as well. With repairs now signed off and the operator signalling readiness, attention shifts to when oil will actually start moving again and whether the political friction surrounding the shutdown will ease alongside it.