Hungary and Slovakia remain heavily reliant on Russian oil, with reports arguing this dependence is a political choice rather than a necessity; as EU reduces Russian gas, oil imports, the stand-off shows the political and economic hurdles complicating the bloc’s roadmap to energy independence

Slovakia halted electricity supplies to Ukraine in response to it blocking the transit Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline across its territory

Slovakia had issued a two-day ultimatum to Ukraine to reopen the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline.