On February 13, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced that Ukraine had blocked the supply of oil from Russia to Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline. According to him, this is a deliberate action to cause difficulties for the incumbent government right before the parliamentary elections taking place in April.
Speaking on M1 television channel, Mr. Szijjarto affirmed that the Ukrainian side has made a political decision to prevent the resumption of oil transportation, even though the pipeline system is completely technically guaranteed. He emphasized that there are no technological barriers that can prevent the restart of this supply at the present time.
Hungarian Foreign Minister accuses President Zelensky of believing that disrupting energy supplies will put the Hungarian government in a difficult position in the 12th election.
Mr. Szijjarto also pointed out that this action by the Kiev government is to support the opposition "Tisza" party in the competition with the ruling party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The top diplomat in Budapest described this as a brutal act of interference in the election process of a sovereign nation. However, he also reassured public opinion that the government will take necessary measures to ensure energy security for all consumers, even if Ukraine continues to blockade the Druzhba pipeline.
This deadlock is forecast to increase tensions in the already strained relationship between Budapest and Kiev. While Ukraine has repeatedly asked European countries to cut off funding for Russia from oil, Hungary is still determined to protect this supply because it considers it a vital factor for the national economy.
