Orbán says Hungarian mission to assess Druzhba pipeline is returning from Ukraine "with results"

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that a Hungarian mission that travelled to Ukraine intending to examine damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline is returning to Budapest "with results".

Source: Orbán on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Orbán was in conversation with Gábor Czepek, who heads the "mission". Part of the conversation was posted on social media by Orbán.

Czepek said he had had "a somewhat difficult night", as Ukraine and its capital had come under a serious attack.

Regarding the work of the fact-finding mission, he said: "There are results."

"The fact is that a meeting organised by the Ukrainian company Naftogaz for all embassy representatives is just beginning [the conversation with Orbán took place before the meeting reported by Naftogaz – ed.]. Our representative, Ambassador Antal Heizer, is also there," Czepek said.

He noted that only ambassadors were allowed to attend the meeting.

"We have set the process in motion, and the Ukrainians were unable to do that; they could not present their own version of events," Orbán replied. "We've forced the Ukrainians to move."

At the end of the conversation, Czepek said the fact-finding mission had been able to leave Kyiv with some findings, even though the members of the group were not granted access to the pipeline itself.

"As a result of today's expert consultation, we will know a lot more about the condition of the pipeline," he added.

Background:

• A Hungarian delegation arrived in Ukraine on 11 March to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said the delegation had no official status and no official meetings had been scheduled.
• A document later emerged confirming that the Ukrainian side had not approved the visit in the format requested by Budapest.

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