Hungary and Slovakia question the reliability of the Adriatic oil pipeline

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Prime Minister Gergely Gulyás claim that without Russian oil supplies, Hungary cannot be supplied reliably and securely via the Adria pipeline through Croatia.

The Hang portal reports that the Croatians, through the company JANAF, say that the Adria pipeline could also sufficiently supply Hungary and Slovakia.

Their main argument is that during the tests, conditions for maximum flow in accordance with the requirements of the Hungarian side were not created. JANAF rejects any technical restrictions on achieving the planned capacity.

The MOL Group confirmed that joint tests with the Croatian operator JANAF have been going on for several months and that the latest tests have revealed technical problems, as the pipeline was unable to maintain maximum flow for more than one to two hours.

Therefore, MOL currently doubts that Adria can be a full-fledged replacement for Russian oil from the Druzhba pipeline, on which Hungary and Slovakia have long been dependent.

The Slovak side also points out that alternative routes and transport options are currently limited and financially costly, with Slovakia having no access to gas terminals that could diversify supplies.

In this context, US President Donald Trump is exerting pressure to stop NATO member states from purchasing Russian oil, but Hungary and Slovakia emphasize the need for a gradual solution due to technological and geographical constraints.

(sie)