HUNGARY ANNOUNCES MEASURES AGAINST UKRAINE – Amid pipeline dispute
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced three countermeasures in response to Ukraine’s suspension of crude oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline.
In a social media post, Orban said Hungary will secure its fuel supply and take necessary countermeasures until shipments resume.
The measures include halting diesel shipments from Hungary to Ukraine, refusing to provide military loans, and withholding support for new EU sanctions against Russia, including the bloc’s 20th sanctions package.
Orban stressed that energy security is a matter of fundamental national interest, and any actions that jeopardise Hungary’s energy supply will be met with a firm response. He said that Hungary would maintain its economic and social stability and take further action if necessary.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said in a video statement on social media on Sunday that Hungary will block the adoption of the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia at Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council.
He noted that Ukraine’s decision earlier this week not to restart shipments was “political blackmail” aimed at creating fuel supply disruptions and driving up petrol prices ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections.
Hungary will not allow decisions important to Kyiv to move forward until Ukraine restarts crude oil deliveries to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline, Szijjarto said. According to the minister, Hungary has addressed the situation by releasing part of its strategic crude reserves and securing replacement supplies via maritime routes.
Szijjarto announced on Wednesday that Hungary has already halted diesel exports to Ukraine, which he said accounted for about 10 per cent of Ukraine’s diesel imports. And on Friday, Szijjarto said that Hungary has moved to block a planned 90-billion-euro EU military loan for Kyiv.
According to Szijjarto, oil supplies to Slovakia and Hungary through the pipeline have been suspended since January 27, and Ukraine has decided not to restart crude oil deliveries, although there are currently “no practical or technical obstacles.”
