In an open letter, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end his anti-Hungarian policies and arrange for the resumption of operations at the Druzhba oil pipeline. The Hungarian head of government is concerned that Kyiv is jeopardizing the livelihoods of Hungarian families.
PM Orbán published an open letter addressed to President Zelenskyy on Thursday morning, sharing it on X.
“For four years, you have been unable to accept the position of the sovereign Hungarian government and the Hungarian people regarding the Russia–Ukraine war. For four years, you have been working to force Hungary into the war between your country and Russia. During this time, you have received support from Brussels and secured the backing of the Hungarian opposition,” PM Orbán wrote to President Zelenskyy.
He accused the Ukrainian President of working together with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition in coordinated effort “to bring a pro-Ukraine government to power in Hungary.”
“In recent days, you have blocked the Friendship oil pipeline, which is critical to Hungary’s energy supply. Your actions are against Hungary’s interests and endanger the secure and affordable energy supply of Hungarian families.
I therefore call on you to change your anti-Hungarian policy!”
PM Orbán noted that “we, the Hungarian people, are not responsible for the situation in which Ukraine finds itself.” He added that Hungarians sympathized with the Ukrainian people but did not wish to take part in the war, saying Hungary was unwilling to finance the conflict or accept higher energy costs.
The Prime Minister called on the Ukrainian President to “immediately reopen” the pipeline and
refrain from any further attacks on Hungary’s energy security.”
He ended the letter with the words: “More respect for Hungary!”
As reported by Hungary Today, the transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline was suspended following a Russian airstrike the end of January. The outage is hitting the region particularly hard, as Hungary and Slovakia are heavily dependent on raw materials delivered via this route.
On February 23, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that his country would suspend extraordinary electricity supplies to Ukraine, blaming Kyiv for the failure to resume supplies via the Druzhba pipeline. Meanwhile, the Hungarian government blocked the European Union’s €90 billion loan package for Ukraine.
As we previously reported, Polish President Jacek Saryusz-Wolski’s foreign policy advisor also stated in an interview with the conservative radio station Radio Wnet that the suspension of oil transit through Ukraine could be a “political operation” on the part of Brussels and Kyiv.
On February 25, following an extraordinary meeting of the Defense Council, Viktor Orbán similarly stated that it had become clear to him that this unprecedented shutdown was “not due to technical reasons, but political ones.” After the meeting, he announced measures to strengthen the protection of critical energy infrastructure, including deploying soldiers and equipment near key facilities to deter possible attacks.
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Featured image: Daina Le Lardic / European Union 2024
The post Viktor Orbán Calls on Ukraine’s President to End “Anti-Hungarian Policy” in Open Letter appeared first on Hungary Today.
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