Zelensky Threatens Hungary on Ukraine’s Independence Day
Responding to a question about the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline, Zelensky said Ukraine has always supported "friendship" between the two countries, but whether it will continue depends on Hungary’s position.
A photo taken on May 5, 2022 shows the receiver station of the Druzhba oil pipeline between Hungary and Russia with a memorial plate of its construction at the Duna (Danube) Refinery of Hungarian oil giant MOL.
Attila Kisbenedek / AFP
Responding to a question about the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline, Zelensky said Ukraine has always supported "friendship" between the two countries, but whether it will continue depends on Hungary’s position.
On Sunday, August 24th, Ukraine’s Independence Day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the existence of the Druzhba (Friendship) oil pipeline, just like the political friendship between Ukraine and Hungary, is now directly tied to Budapest’s position.
During a press conference, a journalist asked if after the strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline and appeals to U.S. President Donald Trump Ukraine had gained additional leverage over Hungary, especially in terms of the lifting of Budapest’s veto on opening EU accession negotiation clusters.
Zelenskyy responded by saying that Ukraine has always supported friendship between the two countries, but its further existence now depends on Hungary’s position.
Ukraine carried out three strikes on the oil pipeline in recent weeks, disrupting vital energy supply for Hungary and Slovakia.
Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, reacted on X shortly afterwards, stressing that an attack on energy security is an attack on national sovereignty, noting that the war in Ukraine, “a war to which Hungary has nothing to do with,” cannot justify the violation of Hungarian sovereignty. The minister added: “We call on @ZelenskyyUa to stop threatening Hungary and to end the reckless attacks on our energy security!”
.@ZelenskyyUa used Ukraine’s national holiday to threaten Hungary. We firmly reject the Ukrainian President’s intimidation.
We regard sovereignty and territorial integrity as fundamental values of international politics. That is why we respect every country’s sovereignty and… pic.twitter.com/oUsgKNgqcV
The Hungarian foreign minister earlier reminded that Hungary is supplying Ukraine most of its electricity. By cutting off oil to Hungary, Ukraine undermines itself, since much of the electricity sent to Ukraine relies on the very oil supply Kyiv is attacking, Szijjártó warned.
Budapest believes Kyiv wants to “drag” Hungary “into the war with Russia” with the attacks on the Druzhba pipeline.
Ildikó Bíró is an editor at europeanconservative.com. She obtained her MAs in Italian and English language and literature and a postgraduate degree in media and journalism from ELTE University in Budapest, and has worked for higher educational institutions, NGOs, government agencies and media outlets as an educator, analyst and copy editor.
