Hungary has barred the commander of the Ukrainian military unit responsible for the recent attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline from entering both Hungary and the Schengen Area, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced Thursday.
He said the strike caused such severe damage that repairs took an unusually long time, nearly forcing Hungary to tap its emergency reserves.
According to Szijjártó, attacks on the pipeline harm Hungary more than Russia and constitute a violation of Hungary’s sovereignty, which cannot remain without consequences.
On August 13th, Szijjártó had already urged Ukraine not to endanger Hungary’s energy security by targeting routes that deliver oil and gas to the country.
The move comes as Kyiv calls on Hungary to react to a deadly overnight missile strike on the night of August 27th to 28th that killed ten people, including a child, and injured at least 30.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that Ukraine awaits a response from “everyone in the world who has called for peace but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled positions.” Naming China and then Hungary specifically, the Ukrainian president said: ”The death of children should definitely stir far greater emotions than anything else.”
