Orbán Demands Zelensky Resume Russian Oil Pumping. Kyiv Says Moscow Strikes Caused Shutdown, Budapest Disbelieves
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has addressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with a demand to resume the operation of the "Druzhba" pipeline, the main route for Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia. This is stated in his open letter. In the document, the politician stated that Budapest "does not want to finance hostilities and pay more for energy": "For four years now, you have not been able to accept the position of the Hungarian government and the Hungarian people regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. For four years you have worked to force Hungary into the war. We feel sorry for the Ukrainian people, but we do not want to participate in the war. I call on you to immediately open the 'Druzhba' oil pipeline and refrain from further attacks on Hungary's energy security." Supplies of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the "Druzhba" pipeline were stopped on January 27, BBC recalls. Ukraine claims that the reason for this was damage to the pipeline equipment as a result of Russian strikes in the Lviv region. Hungary believes that the pipeline was not damaged and is technically sound, and Kyiv is not resuming pumping for political reasons. Last week, due to the scandal surrounding the pipeline, Hungary blocked the allocation of a 90 billion euro European loan to Ukraine. The decision was made against the backdrop of preparations for the April elections, which could lead to Viktor Orbán's resignation. On the eve of the elections, Orbán intensified his anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, FT wrote at the time.
