Ukraine has attacked the ‘Friendship’ oil pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed on social media. Szijjártó called the attack on Hungarian energy security “outrageous and unacceptable.”
According to his post, the Hungarian government believes this attack is the newest episode of Ukraine and Brussels trying to drag Hungary into the war with Russia. This is not the first time Ukrainians have attacked the oil or gas pipelines going through their country, distributing energy from Russia to Budapest.
Szijjártó made the Hungarian position very clear. “This is not our war. We have nothing to do with it, and as long as we are in charge, Hungary will stay out of it.”
The post has not gone unnoticed on the Ukrainian side either. Andrii Sybiha, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, responded to the Hungarian claims on X. Sybiha did not deny the attack on the pipeline but instead blamed Russia for starting the war. The Ukrainian FM called Moscow an unreliable partner, even though the Russian officials are hard at work to restore the pipeline and make the deliveries to Hungary after Ukraine disrupted it.
Szijjártó stood his ground and quickly responded to the Ukrainian claims, saying Sybiha “seems to have missed the facts.” The minister explained that Moscow has been making deliveries of oil and gas to Hungary for decades without any disruption and were a very reliable partner in ensuring Hungary’s energy security.
Ukraine, on the other hand, has made several attacks on these pipelines and repeatedly threatened Hungary’s energy security. As foreign minister, Szijjártó emphasized that his duty is to defend Hungary’s interests above all. Energy security and reliability benefit Budapest, unlike the attacks, so his stance is clear.
The Hungarian minister also reminded his Ukrainian counterpart that Hungary is supplying its eastern neighbor most of their electricity. By cutting off oil to Hungary, Ukraine undermines itself, since much of the electricity sent to Ukraine relies on that very supply.
Ukraine is actively pleading for NATO protection, even as it targets pipelines threatening the energy security of several Eastern European NATO allies. Under international law, disrupting energy supplies could be interpreted as an act of war. This contradiction raises serious questions about Kyiv’s strategic judgment.
