Hungary, Serbia Push Russian Oil Pipeline Defying EU Sanctions

Hungary has advanced plans to construct a 300-kilometer oil pipeline linking the country to Serbia, a project it claims will bolster energy security amid growing tensions with the European Union over reliance on Russian fuel. The announcement, made by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, signals Budapest’s defiance of EU efforts to phase out Russian energy imports by 2028. The pipeline, expected to carry 4–5 million tons of oil annually, would connect Serbia to the Russian Druzhba pipeline via Hungary, positioning Budapest as