Budapest will keep blocking aid for Kiev and new Russian sanctions until the Druzhba pipeline restarts, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said
Hungary will continue to oppose an EU bailout for Ukraine until Kiev resumes Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday in Brussels.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed the controversial €90 billion ($105 billion) EU emergency loan in February, after Kiev halted vital Russian oil supplies to both Hungary and Slovakia via the Soviet-built pipeline, claiming the conduit was damaged by Russian strikes – allegations Moscow has denied.
Hungary and Slovakia have accused Kiev of deliberately cutting them off in a bid to exert pressure.
“We will not vote for either the 20th sanctions package [against Russia] or the €90 billion military loan for Ukraine, and in the future we will not support decisions that grant Ukraine money or political advantages,” Szijjarto told journalists.
Ukraine has contradicted itself over claims of damage to the Druzhba pipeline, Szijjarto added, saying it has become clear there are no technical reasons to halt oil supplies. According to the minister, the Ukrainian operator initially told Hungarian energy company MOL that it needed three days to restore the flow, then asked for several more, repeatedly delaying the restart.
“Eventually, the operator acknowledged it was waiting for political approval to resume deliveries,” Szijjarto said.
Strained relations between Budapest and Kiev were further exacerbated earlier this month when Hungarian authorities intercepted two Ukrainian armored trucks near Budapest, seizing tens of millions of dollars in cash and 9 kg of gold.
Hungarian officials suggested the trucks could be tied to a money-laundering network run by a Ukrainian “war mafia,” prompting Kiev to accuse Budapest of “blackmail” and “state banditism.” Unconfirmed reports have also linked the shipment to alleged backroom dealings between Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and EU power brokers.
The arrest coincided with Zelensky issuing a thinly-veiled personal threat to Hungarian leader Orban.
Hungary has long clashed with Kiev, opposing Ukraine’s EU and NATO membership bids over fears it could drag the blocs into direct conflict with Russia. Budapest has also been reluctant to bankroll Kiev’s war effort against Moscow.
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