U.S. sanctions on some Iranian oil will be temporarily lifted to allow the sale of shipments already in transit, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Friday. The partial pause on sanctions is intended to help ease what the Trump administration sees as a short-term shock to the global market as a result of the attack on Iran launched by the U.S. and Israel three weeks ago. Bessent said in a social media post that the U.S. is granting a short-term authorization to allow the sale of about 140 million barrels of Iranian oil in transit. “In essence, we will be using the Iranian barrels against Tehran to keep the price down as we continue Operation Epic Fury,” he said. Oil prices have spiked to more than $100 per barrel since the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran last month, triggering a rise in gas prices. Israeli strikes on Iran’s vast offshore gas field and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade passage that facilitates a significant share of the world’s oil and natural gas trade, have helped drive the increases. The sales have been authorized for 30 days, according to a copy of the general license issued by the Treasury Department on Friday. The announcement marks a partial reversal of the longstanding aggressive economic pressure campaign by the U.S. intended to weaken Iran’s economy, though Bessent said the country would have “difficulty accessing any revenue generated” from the sales. “The United States will continue to maintain maximum pressure on Iran and its ability to access the international financial system,” he added. Trump appeared to acknowledge he was aware that entering a war with Iran could cause oil prices to spike, even as he touted the success of the U.S. military operation and the strength of the economy. “I expected it worse actually,” he told reporters at the White House on Friday. “I thought that oil prices would go much higher.” Bessent said he’s confident the suspension of sanctions on Iran will benefit the U.S. economy in the long run. “Any short-term disruption now will ultimately translate into longer-term economic gains for Americans — because there is no prosperity without security,” he said. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in response that the easing of sanctions gives the Iranian government “a financial lifeline” as Americans “continue to feel the impact” of the war. “To say the president has no plan is an understatement,” Shaheen said.

BRUSSELS — Ukraine has accepted EU technical and financial support to repair the damaged Druzhba oil pipeline, in a bid to restore oil flows to Hungary and Slovakia. The agreement comes two days before EU leaders meet in Brussels and could help ease tensions that prompted Hungary to block a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine. “The EU has offered Ukraine technical support and funding,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa said in a joint statement. “The Ukrainians have welcomed and accepted this offer. European experts are available immediately.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Kyiv’s backing for the plan, writing in a letter to EU leaders that he “welcome[s] and accept[s]” the EU’s offer of “necessary technical support and funding” to complete repairs and explore longer-term solutions. The push follows strikes on the pipeline in January that interrupted oil flows, von der Leyen and Costa said, adding they have held “intense discussions” with member states and Ukraine to “repair and restore the flow of oil.” “Our priority is to ensure energy security for all European citizens,” they said, with the Commission also working on “alternative routes for the transit of non-Russian crude oil” to Central and Eastern Europe. It’s the first time Kyiv has allowed the pipeline to be inspected since it was damaged in a Russian strike in January. Budapest, which depends on the conduit for Russian oil supplies , has accused Ukraine of slow-walking the repairs, and has repeatedly called on the Commission to send technicians to assess the level of damage. The issue snowballed into a broader diplomatic spat after Budapest and Slovakia threatened to block €90 billion worth of aid to Ukraine if it doesn’t repair it quickly. Ukraine has insisted that the repairs are underway and that the site remains too dangerous for an inspection. It blocked a previous attempt to visit the pipeline by Hungary, dismissing its delegates as “tourists.” Zelenskyy has also previously admitted that he would rather not fix the pipeline given doing so facilitates Russian oil exports. The move comes as tensions over energy supplies and support for Ukraine build ahead of the next European Council.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s controversial suggestion that the EU should negotiate with Russia is convulsing his own coalition government. Speaking to L’Echo, Belgium’s leader made the case for a deal to “normalize” relations with Moscow to regain access to cheap energy, as costs spiral thanks to another war in the Middle East.   Opposition politicians reacted furiously, while parties within De Wever’s government were also quick to distance themselves. Belgium’s ruling coalition required 236 days to negotiate a detailed reform agenda, and their ongoing disagreements have repeatedly turned into public quarrels. The remarks cut against the EU’s broadly hard-line stance toward Moscow since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began and threaten to fuel a sensitive debate in the bloc about sanctions and Russian energy. De Wever’s comments also come after a nationwide poll last week revealed he enjoys widespread support, with the Flemish-nationalist leader’s popularity not only at a record high in Dutch-speaking Flanders, but also growing in French-speaking Wallonia. The strong polling may help explain the prime minister’s willingness to push a politically sensitive argument. “The conflict must be ended in Europe’s interest. Without being naive about Putin. That’s a mistake we must never make again. We must rearm and remilitarize the border. And at the same time, we must normalize relations with Russia and regain access to cheap energy,” De Wever said in L’Echo, adding it was a matter of “common sense.” “Behind closed doors, European leaders tell me I’m right, but no one dares to say it out loud,” De Wever was also quoted as saying. YOU DON’T SPEAK FOR US De Wever’s comments struck a nerve within his ruling coalition, which — apart from the prime minister’s Flemish-nationalist N-VA — includes the Flemish socialist Vooruit party, the French-speaking liberal Reformist Movement, and centrist parties from both sides of the language border, Les Engagés and CD&V.  “The prime minister can say whatever he wants in his own name, but he cannot speak on behalf of the government and claim that we now suddenly want to beg Putin for cheap energy,” Conner Rousseau, president of Vooruit, told the VTM channel on Monday.  In a long reaction Sunday, centrist Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Prévot of Les Engagés called reducing Europe’s dependency on fossil fuels a “strategic necessity.” “Should we engage in dialogue with Russia? Yes,” Prévot said — but added that “dialogue is not the same as normalization.” “Today, Russia is refusing to allow European representatives at the negotiating table. It is sticking to its maximalist demands. As long as that remains the case, talking about normalization sends a signal of weakness that undermines the European unity we need now more than ever,” Prévot said. On Monday, the centrist CD&V echoed Prévot’s words, saying “taking more gas from Putin again would only give Russia more money to continue its war in Ukraine.” IT’S ALL GOOD, HONEST De Wever’s Cabinet told POLITICO in a statement that the prime minister had made his comments in response to a question about a passage in his book Over Welvaart (About Prosperity), which has just been released in French, and concerned a hypothetical scenario after a peace deal. The Cabinet added that Prévot’s Sunday message had been coordinated with the prime minster and was intended as a clarification. Despite Belgium’s long tradition of coalition-building, the current government has struggled to bridge the various positions of its constituent parties — including, most recently, on pension reform and Belgium’s response to a request from Saudi Arabia for military aid. Another issue erupted Monday evening after Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) and Defense Minister Theo Francken (N-VA) announced that the Belgian armed forces would protect Jewish sites around the country, which blindsided Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V). Even after a Friday poll that showed De Wever is the most popular prime minister since 2008, when the category was first tracked, he said he wouldn’t stay on if divisions in his coalition paralyze his government. “If this government becomes incapable of making decisions, I will not remain prime minister. Doing nothing until the end of the legislative term, contenting myself with going to the European Council to play the political heavyweight, does not interest me at all,” De Wever told the La Libre daily. Camille Gijs contributed to this report.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described European allies’ attitude over the Druzhba oil pipeline as “blackmail.” In remarks made public on Sunday, the Ukrainian leader criticized European pressure to allow oil to flow through the pipeline, which connects producer country Russia to Europe by way of Ukraine. The pipeline has been offline since January after a Russian attack, and has been at the center of a bitter row between Ukraine and Hungary. Budapest has accused Kyiv of deliberately blocking progress on repairing the infrastructure in order to engineer an energy crisis in the Hungary. In response, Hungarian Prime Viktor Orbán has been blocking the release of a €90 billion tranche of EU funding for Ukraine needed to keep the war-torn country financially afloat. On Thursday, the European Commission proposed sending a fact-finding mission to inspect the damage to the Druzhba pipeline in an attempt to resolve the dispute. “If we have decided to restore Russian oil supplies, then I want them to know that I am against it. … But if I am given conditions that Ukraine will not receive weapons, then, excuse me, I am powerless on this issue; I told our friends in Europe that this is called blackmail,” Zelenskyy said in reported remarks. The price of oil has surged passed $100 a barrel in recent days due to disruptions linked to the war in Iran, which began with American-Israeli strikes on Tehran on Feb. 28. Washington has eased sanctions on certain Russian oil consignments in response to the price pressure. On Saturday, Ukraine’s state oil and gas company, Naftogaz, announced that it had held a briefing with European and G7 ambassadors where it updated them on the state of the Druzhba pipeline. The company said the pipeline had been heavily damaged following a Russian attack in January. “Restoring such infrastructure is a complex technological process that requires time, specialized equipment, and the continuous work of teams even under constant threat,” Naftogaz said. The word druzhba means friendship in Russian.

U.S. President Donald Trump said late Friday that the U.S. launched punishing air strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island while sparing vital oil infrastructure as he pressed the country not to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump, in a statement, called the attack one of the “most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East,” and said only military assets were targeted on the island, a 5-mile strip of land that is home to Iran’s most important oil facility. “I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island,” Trump said on social media. “However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.” The oil processing facilities at Kharg Island are a foundational component of Iran’s economy. Roughly 90 percent of Iran’s crude is processed at Kharg Island, and any disruption to its oil processing could cripple the country’s economy. The strategic purpose of the strikes on the island were not clear, but the threat of future strikes on oil infrastructure marks a significant escalation of the U.S. effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has indicated he would send the Navy to escort ships through the critical waterway after Iran’s ships effectively closed it in response to the war.

OSLO — Norway is doubling down on its role as Europe’s energy lifeline as wars and geopolitical turmoil rattle global markets. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the widening conflict in the Middle East, which has already pushed oil prices higher and reduced supply, underscores why Europe needs stable energy partners. “It’s a war that appears to have no plan,” Støre said at the Offshore Norge Annual Conference in Oslo on Thursday, referring to the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. “In such unpredictable times, Norway needs to be reliable.” Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Norway has become Europe’s largest pipeline gas supplier, replacing much of the fuel that once flowed from Russia. “All the gas we produce in Norway goes to Europe, and around 90 to 95 percent of oil we produce goes to Europe,” Anders Opedal, chief executive of Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor, told POLITICO. But while Oslo is positioning itself as a pillar of Europe’s energy security, Norwegian officials say the country cannot quickly ramp up production even if geopolitical tensions tighten global supply. Norway’s Energy Minister Terje Aasland said his country is already operating close to maximum output. “We are at the top of production capacity just now,” he told POLITICO. Increasing supply would require new exploration and investment, Aasland said, as his government works to slow an expected decline in production after 2030 by developing additional resources on the Norwegian continental shelf. “Our focus is to be a stable and long and predictable supplier of energy to the European market,” he said. ARCTIC TENSIONS At the same time, Norway is pushing back against calls in Brussels to halt oil and gas development in the Arctic as the EU revises its Arctic strategy. The EU’s current policy commits the bloc to pursuing an international moratorium on Arctic oil and gas extraction, but the strategy is now under review, with a public consultation closing March 16 and a revised version expected before the summer. Norwegian officials, industry groups and unions are lobbying Brussels to drop the idea, arguing Europe will continue to need Norwegian Arctic gas as it phases out Russian supplies. Aasland defended Norway’s record in the region, pointing to the Barents Sea — where the country launched the Johan Castberg oil field last August — as an example of responsible development. “We have delivered oil and gas to the European market from the Arctic for several decades,” he said. “And we will develop it.” Industry leaders say Arctic production already plays a role in replacing Russian supplies. “When we opened the Johan Castberg field last year, the first cargo went straight to Europe, replacing Russian oil,” Opedal said. “Any moratorium here would actually reduce Europe’s security of supply.” Norway supplies roughly a third of EU gas imports, though Arctic gas accounts for a much smaller share, around 3 percent of the bloc’s imports. Still, Norwegian leaders argue a moratorium would send the wrong signal while Europe remains dependent on external energy supplies. Norwegian officials, industry groups and unions are lobbying Brussels to drop the idea, arguing Europe will continue to need Norwegian Arctic gas as it phases out Russian supplies. | Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images Ine Eriksen Søreide, the leader of Norway’s Conservative party, said calls to stop Arctic development clash with Europe’s current energy security priorities. “It sends a very bad signal when the Commission says we need to stop oil and gas development in the Arctic, because that’s development the EU relies on,” she said. Experts say the broader Arctic energy picture is dominated by Russia, which has major plans to expand liquefied natural gas production through projects such as Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2. Malte Humpert, founder and senior fellow at the Arctic Institute, said climate change is rapidly transforming the once-inaccessible region. “If we didn’t have climate change, we wouldn’t be talking about Arctic geopolitics,” he told POLITICO. “Climate change is actively reshaping the map, where suddenly there’s new trade routes available that didn’t exist even 10, 15 years ago.” OIL AND GAS AREN’T GOING ANYWHERE FOR NOW Across Oslo’s political spectrum, the message is broadly the same: Europe still needs reliable fossil fuel suppliers, and Norway intends to remain one of them. Opposition leader Sylvi Listhaug of the right-wing Progress Party argued Europe should encourage Norway to produce more oil and gas to reduce reliance on authoritarian regimes. “The more Norway can produce of gas, the less dependent Europe will be” on non-democratic producers, she said. Ine Eriksen Søreide, the leader of Norway’s Conservative party, said calls to stop Arctic development clash with Europe’s current energy security priorities. | Pool photo by Olivier Doulier/AFP via Getty Images Listhaug also warned that high energy prices risk undermining European competitiveness. “Energy and economic growth are a one-to-one relationship,” she said. Even as Norway expands renewables, leaders insist fossil fuels will remain crucial to Europe’s energy system during the long transition to cleaner alternatives. “We have to have two thoughts in our heads at the same time,” Aasland said.

Poland is looking into whether an attempted cyberattack on a nuclear research facility was carried out by Iran, the government said on Thursday. The country’s digital minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said in an emailed statement that Poland had “identified an attempted cyberattack on the servers of the National Centre for Nuclear Research,” which authorities had thwarted. He told local media that the attack was carried out “in the past few days,” Reuters reported.  The nuclear center said in a statement that “all safety systems operated according to procedures.” A reactor is “operating safely and smoothly at full power,” Jakub Kupecki, the center’s director said in the statement. The facility carries out research into nuclear energy; Poland does not have nuclear weapons of its own.  Polish cybersecurity services and the energy ministry are working with the facility, Gawkowski said.  The minister told local media that there are early signals suggesting the attack came from Iran, Reuters reported. “The first identifications of the entry vectors … are related to Iran,” he said, adding that more investigation is required.  Gawkowski added that hackers could also have used indicators linking the attack to Iran in efforts to hide their real origins. Poland has faced a huge number of Russian cyberattacks since the war in Ukraine began in 2022. Western cyber and intelligence agencies have warned critical entities to be on high alert for Iranian cyberattacks following the start of the conflict in late February. The Iranian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin entered the new year facing a painful choice — limit his so-called special military operation in Ukraine or risk serious damage to his economy. Almost overnight, U.S. President Donald Trump handed him the solution. U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have sent oil prices soaring, boosting the Kremlin’s main source of revenue and making it easier for Putin to sustain his war effort. After Israel bombed Iranian oil facilities this weekend, benchmark crude prices soared to above $100 per barrel, hitting their highest mark since the summer of 2022, when markets spiked following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For Russia, the surge in oil prices amounts to an economic windfall at a crucial moment, as the cost of four years of war in Ukraine threatened to spill over into a domestic economic crisis. The assault on Iran may undermine Moscow’s claim to stand by its allies, but it is already benefiting Russia’s economy and, by extension, its war against Ukraine — leaving the Kremlin well placed to emerge as one of the main beneficiaries of the expanding conflict in the Middle East. ECONOMIC TURNAROUND Only several weeks ago, the mood among Russia’s economic elite was grim. The Russian finance ministry’s budget plan for this year assumed a baseline benchmark of $59 per barrel of Urals crude, the country’s main export blend. But in January, energy revenues plunged to their lowest level since 2020, compounding a disappointing tax haul. As Western sanctions, high interest rates and labor shortages strained the economy, tension between the finance ministry and the central bank on how to mitigate the damage became increasingly visible. “It was far from a collapse,” said Sergey Vakulenko, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. “But the government was facing tough choices, had to cut its spending and raise taxes and even consider some reduction in military expenditure.” Stopping the war in Ukraine was never on the table, Vakulenko added, but it was becoming clear that even on that front, Russia would have to “economize a bit.” Then Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran. As Tehran retaliated and the conflict spilled over into a regional war, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has stalled, sending oil prices soaring. “Suddenly, Moscow received this gift,” said Vladimir Milov, a former deputy energy minister turned Kremlin critic in exile. “They had their lifeline.” These days, he said, Russian officials are “very, very happy.” ‘STRATEGIC MISTAKE’ Instead of selling at a discount because of Western sanctions, Russian crude may now fetch premium prices as its main buyers — India and China — scramble to secure supplies. What’s more, they’ll have Washington’s blessing.  Last Friday, the U.S. Treasury issued a 30-day waiver allowing India to buy Russian crude to “enable oil to keep flowing into the global market.” A day later, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States could “unsanction other Russian oil,” a sharp reversal from last year’s policy of penalizing countries for buying Russian energy. Unsurprisingly, the Kremlin is using the moment to maximum advantage.  “Russia was and continues to be a reliable supplier of both oil and gas,” Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday in what sounded like a sales pitch, adding that demand for Russian energy products had increased. Meanwhile, Kremlin aide Kirill Dmitriev gloated in a series of posts on X that “the oil shock tsunami is just beginning,” criticizing Europe’s decision to cut itself off from Russian energy as “a strategic mistake.”  On Monday, pro-Kremlin commentators circulated a Wall Street Journal article predicting oil prices could skyrocket to $215. LONG GAME Energy experts warn it is too soon for Moscow to claim victory. Whether the Iran crisis proves a cure for Russia’s economy depends directly on how long it lasts. Milov, the former deputy energy minister, said that, to make a meaningful difference for the economy, Russia would need oil prices to remain at current levels for roughly a year. “One or two months of high prices would certainly help, but it won’t save it,” he said. A brief spike in prices will only “help to postpone the difficult decisions,” added Vakulenko, the analyst at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.  There’s another reason why Moscow will be hoping the war drags on: With every day of fighting, the U.S. is depleting the weapon stocks Ukraine is relying upon to defend itself.  According to media reports, Russia has been providing Iran with intelligence to help it target U.S. warships and aircraft.  The assassination of Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike may have dealt a blow to Russia’s promise to defend its allies, but Putin may ultimately decide it was a price worth paying.

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music Europe is no longer watching the conflict in the Middle East from a distance — it’s directly entangled. Iranian missiles flying over Cyprus. EU leaders divided over messaging. Von der Leyen and Kallas on parallel tracks. And Germany’s chancellor in Washington trying to shape the transatlantic line. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart break down the EU’s crisis response, the battle over who speaks for Europe, and the ripple effects for Ukraine — from enlargement to defense. And finally — is Brussels a haven or a punchline? On that last one — we’d love to hear from you. Are you a Brussels enthusiast, a skeptic, or somewhere in between? Send us a voice note or a message on WhatsApp at: +32 491 05 06 29. **A message for Amazon: Today's episode is presented by Amazon. Sixty percent of sales on Amazon come from independent sellers. Across Europe, over two hundred and eighty thousand Small and Medium Enterprises partner with Amazon to grow their business. Learn more at Aboutamazon.eu. **

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is seizing on fears of an energy price shock from the Iran war to try to claw back ground against his challenger Péter Magyar ahead of an April 12 election. About 10 percentage points behind in the polls, Orbán is now putting energy costs at the heart of the election race. He accuses Magyar’s Tisza party of conspiring with the EU and Ukraine to cut Hungary off from cheap Russian oil, arguing those flows could have cushioned Budapest from the spiraling crude costs triggered by the war on Iran. Sensing an electoral advantage in a showdown with Brussels, Orbán last month vetoed the EU’s all-important €90 billion funding line for Kyiv, accusing the Ukrainians of slow-walking repairs to the Druzhba pipeline that carries discounted Russian oil across Ukraine to Hungary. On Jan. 27 the pipeline was blown up in a drone attack, Kyiv reported at the time. That ruptured pipeline has now become even more politically sensitive thanks to the supply crisis in the Persian Gulf. Orbán is a close ally of Donald Trump, and the Iran war is a rare point of dissonance between him and the U.S. president. Still, the main target of Orbán’s attacks is not Washington but the domestic opposition, which he claims put Hungary in a vulnerable position by siding with the EU and Ukraine rather than fighting to preserve Russian oil supplies. Orbán and his ruling Fidesz party are also playing up alleged security threats from the war in the Middle East — raising the country’s terror level. ORBÁN PLAYS THE ENERGY CARD “Developments involving Iran may have an indirect impact on Hungary’s security, with particular regard to our energy security,” Orbán said on Sunday. “Due to the conflict, significant energy price increases are expected on global markets. In this situation, it is crucial that we break President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s oil blockade against Hungary.” Orbán accuses Péter Magyar’s Tisza party of conspiring with the EU and Ukraine to cut Hungary off from cheap Russian oil. | Bálint Szentgallay/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Hungarian prime minister’s political director, Balázs Orbán, on Monday pushed to make the link to Magyar, accusing him of “acting against the Hungarian people” by teaming up with Brussels and Kyiv on oil supplies. “[Magyar] dismissed the government’s warnings about the Ukrainian oil blockade as fearmongering and panic-mongering, claiming there is no danger and no war, while at the same time openly campaigning for Hungary’s detachment from Russian energy — the very core of the Brussels- and Kyiv-backed program he represents,” he said. “Hungarians are not naïve. They can clearly see that, given the global instability and the escalating Middle East conflict, advocating for decoupling from Russian oil and accepting Ukrainian blackmail would be madness,” Balázs Orbán added. Members of the Hungarian government have posted satellite imaginary claiming Kyiv lied about the pipeline’s not being operational, and have demanded Zelenskyy immediately resume oil deliveries. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Zelenskyy of “not telling the truth,” claiming that “at a time when maritime oil transport is uncertain due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, blocking a functioning land supply route is a direct attack against Hungary.” The Hungarian prime minister’s political director, Balázs Orbán, on Monday pushed to make the link to Magyar, accusing him of “acting against the Hungarian people.” | Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images Hungary also raised the matter on Sunday when EU ambassadors met for crisis talks on the situation in Iran. Budapest’s top envoy, Bálint Ódor, used his intervention to accuse Kyiv of “weaponizing the pipeline” to interfere in Hungary’s elections, according to a diplomat who was present. MAGYAR’S REPLY Magyar has built his lead over Orbán by focusing on the government’s cronyism and economic mismanagement, and has been keen not to be cast as an ally of the EU and Kyiv. His Tisza party’s program does indeed vow to halt Russian energy supplies, by only by the distant date of 2035. Indeed, far from fighting the Fidesz government’s claims over the pipeline, he issued a letter on Monday proposing a joint on-site inspection of Druzhba. “The Hungarian people rightly expect their responsible leaders to make decisions based on facts and in a transparent manner, and not via messages on Facebook and in propaganda,” the letter read. Magyar has also insisted that if the Ukrainian threat to Hungary’s energy infrastructure is as serious as Orbán claims, he should trigger NATO’s Article 4, which allows member states to consult with their allies if they believe their territorial integrity or security is under threat. Geoffrey Smith and Jamie Dettmer contributed reporting to this article