Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says Hungary is politicising Druzhba pipeline repair issue

Iryna Kutielieva, VALENTYNA ROMANENKO - 19 March, 19:36

Heorhii Tykhyi. Photo: Ukraine's Foreign Ministry

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi has stressed that Hungary is politicising the issue of repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline.

Source: the press service for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: As Tykhyi noted, Ukraine has not heard any condemnation from Hungary regarding the damage caused to the Druzhba oil pipeline by the Russian strike.

He added that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is focusing his rhetoric on Ukraine instead of explaining to Hungarian citizens why the country has failed to diversify its energy supplies.

Quote: "So Hungary politicises this issue, makes it a political point, and puts forward demands to Ukraine, which is absurd in our view. Ukraine is facing large-scale terror, air terror from Russia."

More details: Tykhyi pointed out that Ukraine's infrastructure is being damaged by Russian attacks every day.

Quote: "And even since the damage done to the Druzhba pipeline, there has already been other damage to other Ukrainian pipelines and other infrastructure, for example, the Odesa-Brody pipeline. Ukraine repairs all of that.

But we do not have unlimited resources. We are in a full-scale war, which Hungary decides to ignore for some reason."

Background:

EU leaders held a discussion on 19 March on providing Ukraine with a €90 billion loan, but they failed to persuade Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán to lift his veto. Separately, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was criticised for making inappropriate remarks addressed to Orbán.
Orbán said on the sidelines of a European Council meeting in Brussels that Hungary would not unblock any decision favourable to Ukraine until the Druzhba oil pipeline resumes transporting Russian oil.
On Thursday 19 March, following its discussion of the Ukraine issue, the European Council adopted conclusions on Ukraine which were signed by 25 EU leaders, with the exception of Hungary and Slovakia.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!