Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv condemns ‘blackmail’ by Hungary and Slovakia in energy supplies dispute

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Ukraine’s foreign ministry has condemned what it describes as “ultimatums and blackmail” by Hungary and Slovakia on Saturday, after both governments threatened to stop electricity supplies to Ukraine unless Kyiv restarts flows of Russian oil. Hungary has also threatened to block a €90bn Ukrainian war loan.
Shipments of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia have been cut off since 27 January, when Kyiv says a Russian drone strike hit pipeline equipment in western Ukraine. Hungary and Slovakia both accuse Ukraine of delaying the restart, without evidence. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement the country “rejects and condemns the ultimatums and blackmail by the governments of Hungary and the Slovak Republic regarding energy supplies between our countries”. “Ultimatums should be sent to the Kremlin, and certainly not to Kyiv.”
Slovakia and Hungary are the only two EU countries that still rely on significant amounts of Russian oil shipped via the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline over Ukraine. The issue has become one of the angriest disputes yet between Ukraine and two neighbours that are members of the EU and Nato but whose leaders have bucked the largely pro-Ukrainian consensus in Europe to cultivate ties with Moscow. The Slovak leader, Robert Fico, has accused Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy of acting “maliciously” towards his country.
Explosions in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv have killed a policewoman and wounded at least 15 people overnight in what local authorities on Sunday called an “act of terror”. The blasts occurred just after police responded to a report of a break-in at a shop in the city centre at about 12:30 am, according to officials. A first explosion struck as the initial patrol arrived, followed by a second blast moments later when another crew reached the scene. “This is definitely an act of terror,” the Lviv mayor, Andriy Sadovy, said in a Facebook post. “We have 15 people currently receiving medical aid, some of them are in very serious condition. One policewoman died.”
Former British prime minister Boris Johnson says the UK and its European allies should immediately deploy noncombat troops to Ukraine to show the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, that western nations are committed to the nation’s freedom and independence. Speaking ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Johnson told the BBC that the troops should be sent to peaceful regions in non-fighting roles. The comments from Johnson, who was one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters as Britain’s leader during the first months of the conflict, were contained in excerpts of an interview that will be broadcast on Sunday.
A strike by Ukraine against a major missile factory deep inside Russia wounded 11 people, officials in Russia’s Udmurt Republics said on Saturday. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed it used Ukrainian-made FP-5 “Flamingo” cruise missiles against the Votkinsk plant. Unofficial Russian Telegram channels also pointed to that site. Russia suspended flights at airports in and near the region. Ukraine also reported a strike on a gas plant in Samara, Russia.
About 2,000 people marched in Paris on Saturday, according to police, to show their support for Ukraine days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Demonstrators marching through the French capital chanted: “We support Ukraine against Putin, who is killing it”, and “Frozen Russian assets must be confiscated, they belong to Ukraine”. European parliament member Raphael Glucksmann told Agence France-Presse there was “massive” support for Ukraine in France which “has not wavered since the first day of the full-scale invasion”. “On the other hand, in the French political class, sounds of giving up are starting to emerge. On both the far left and the far right, voices of capitulation are getting louder,” he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says “real opportunities to end war with dignity still exist”, calling for another round of talks, and hinting at a fresh leaders’ meeting. After he was debriefed on this week’s peace talks with Russia and the US in Geneva, Zelenskyy called for another round of talks to be held “very soon, as early as this February”. He said “Ukraine’s responses to the most difficult questions ahead of the next meeting are ready,” and that they still want to raise some issues at the leaders’ level with Trump and Putin. “It is the leaders’ format that could prove decisive in many respects, and Ukraine is ready for such a format,” he said.