Ukrainian forces are accused on having struck the Soviet-era Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline several times this month, halting the flow of Russian oil to Hungary and neighboring Slovakia, RT reported.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky remarked on Sunday, with a smile and a play on the pipeline’s name, that Kiev’s “friendship” with Budapest depends on Hungary’s stance.
Orban described Zelensky’s comments as a “public threat” and a confession that Kiev had intentionally jeopardized his country’s energy security “because we don’t support their EU membership,” according to Magyar Nemzet on Monday.
“This shows that the Hungarians made the right choice,” Orban added. Earlier this year, Hungary blocked EU accession talks with Ukraine, following a national referendum in which more than 2 million Hungarians – around 95% of voters – rejected Kiev’s bid.
Orban’s remarks were echoed by his chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, who condemned Ukraine’s actions as “unacceptable” at a government briefing on Monday.
“Even if Ukraine were already an EU member, it would still have no right to dictate from whom we buy our energy,” Gulyas stressed.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto also issued a sharp rebuke to Zelensky’s “intimidation” in a post on X. “We call on Zelensky to stop threatening Hungary and to end the reckless attacks on our energy security!” he wrote on Sunday.
In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga argued that Szijjarto cannot dictate to Zelensky “what to do or say, and when,” and urged Budapest to “diversify and become independent from Russia, like the rest of Europe.”
MA/PR
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