Hungary complains Ukraine is "mocking" them over Druzhba pipeline, vows to block €90bn EU loan
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has said on the sidelines of an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting that as long as Ukraine blocks the transit of Russian oil to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline on Ukrainian territory, Hungary will block the provision of an EU loan worth €90 billion to Ukraine as well as the adoption of the European Union's 20th sanctions package against Russia.
Source: European Pravda
Details: Szijjártó said that the situation was very simple and that as long as Hungary remained under what he described as an oil blockade, Budapest would not agree to the decision to provide €90 billion to Ukraine.
He also noted that Ukrainians were, in his words, mocking Hungarians and were not restoring oil transportation for political reasons.
According to Szijjártó, as long as the situation continued, neither a vote on €90 billion for Ukraine, nor any other financial support for Ukraine, nor the adoption of the 20th sanctions package could be discussed.
He further stressed that the Druzhba pipeline was physically and technically ready for the resumption of transportation and that there were no technical or technological problems preventing this.
Background:
- Hungary and Slovakia initiated a discussion on the Druzhba pipeline at the EU Council on 16 March.
- The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed the view that restoring the Druzhba pipeline would be equal to lifting sanctions on Russia.
- On 11 March, a Hungarian delegation arrived in Ukraine to assess the condition of the Druzhba pipeline. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said the delegation had no official status or scheduled official meetings.
- Later, a document emerged confirming that the Ukrainian side had not approved the visit in the form proposed by Budapest.
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