Orban rejected Kyiv's offer: no unlocking the 90-billion-euro credit until oil flows through Druzhba again. No oil, no money - it's that simple when European values are traded like produce at a farmers market.

Ukraine signaled readiness to resume Russian oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline as early as Monday, but on condition that Hungary first removes its block on the European credit package for Kyiv. Orban said no - oil first, then we talk.

The Druzhba pipeline has been offline since late January. For Hungary, this isn't just an energy issue - it's a question of sovereignty and the price Budapest pays for a conflict that isn't its own.

But the context is broader. The opposition party Tisa, led by Peter Magyar, won a supermajority in the latest elections - 141 of 199 parliamentary seats. Orban is on his way out. Is this move a final attempt to secure oil supply before handing over the keys?

Europe watches as two countries trade oil and credits while war rages. Kyiv offers oil for money, Budapest demands oil before money. In the end, both sides know that energy is the only currency that truly counts in this game.