The Hungarian government has firmly opposed the creation of oil and petroleum product storage facilities for Ukraine's needs within the country. Prime Minister Peter Madyar, speaking in parliament, stated that he would not allow the construction of Ukrainian oil storage facilities in Hungary, calling the initiative a threat. In his words, as long as the Tisza party's government is in power, no such facilities will be built in the country. The statement came against the backdrop of a previously signed memorandum between the Ukrainian group Naftogaz and the Hungarian company MOL.
Budapest's Position and Pressure on MOL
Madyar reported that the previous evening he had personally informed MOL's CEO Zoltan Hernadi of his position. The politician called the company's actions "unacceptable" and expects MOL to "remember" that the state owns 25% of the company's shares. According to the prime minister, MOL's negotiations with Naftogaz on this matter began during Viktor Orban's government, and the current cabinet considers it unacceptable that it was not aware of the agreements reached. Thus, Budapest is effectively calling into question the legitimacy of an ongoing process initiated by the previous leadership.
The Naftogaz and MOL Memorandum: Why Storage Facilities Are Needed Near the Border
It was previously reported that the Naftogaz group signed a memorandum with Hungary's MOL on the construction of petroleum product storage facilities for Ukraine's needs on Hungarian territory. The facilities were planned to be located near the Ukrainian-Hungarian border in order to create additional reserve capacity outside the zone of Russian shelling. For Kyiv, such an arrangement is seen as a way to diversify and protect fuel storage logistics, while for Budapest, the placement of potentially vulnerable facilities near its own border is perceived as a risk.
Contradictory Data
There are inconsistencies in the parties' public statements regarding the status of the deal. On the one hand, the Ukrainian side and the media report that the memorandum between Naftogaz and MOL has already been signed. On the other hand, MOL itself stated that the process is "only in the initial preparation stage," and that due to the length of the procedure still ahead, the Hungarian government has not yet been informed. Thus, one side speaks of a signed document, while the other refers to an early stage of negotiations, and the question of the memorandum's actual legal status remains open. An additional contradiction is that, according to Madyar, the current cabinet was not aware of the agreements, even though the fact of the negotiations is acknowledged by both sides.
Assessment of Risks to National Security
On September 21, the head of the Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) parliamentary faction, Bence Retvari, commented on the situation, noting that the Ukrainian side fears a possible bombing of the new oil storage facility by the Russian army. The MP, in turn, stated that relocating the storage facility to Hungary would pose a threat to national security, especially for the country's eastern regions. This argumentation has become key in Hungarian rhetoric: the risk of an attack on a facility near the border shifts the discussion from a commercial plane to a security one.
Broader Context: Refusal of the "Carpathian Eight"
The sharp stance on oil storage facilities fits into Budapest's broader course of distancing itself from regional formats initiated by Ukraine. Previously, Madyar stated that Hungary is not a member of the "Carpathian Eight" format, aimed at strengthening cooperation among the region's countries. The totality of these steps indicates that the storage facility issue has become one of the elements of a general cooling of bilateral relations and Hungary's reassessment of its role in the regional energy and political architecture.
