Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated that a “new reality” has emerged in Brussels: for the first time, an open expectation has been expressed that Hungary should send soldiers to Ukraine.
According to Péter Szijjártó, a statement was made at the council meeting that made it clear that some EU actors would consider Hungarian military participation necessary if the situation in Ukraine requires it.
The minister said that this was the first time that what was expected of Hungary had been stated “openly, clearly, and directly.”
He explained that the suggestion was made after the issue of the Druzhba pipeline was raised.
The Luxembourg foreign minister asked the Ukrainian foreign minister why Hungarian and Slovak experts were not allowed to inspect the pipeline on site if there really was a technical problem hindering transport.
Péter Szijjártó recalled that the Ukrainian side did not give an immediate, clear answer, but spoke of the need for further consultation.
In doing so, the Ukrainian foreign minister proved the Hungarian position to be correct, namely that there are no technical or engineering problems that would prevent the resumption of oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline.
“Ukraine is delaying this for the purpose of political blackmail,” Péter Szijjártó pointed out.
The minister pointed out that these events confirm that the European Commission and Ukraine are acting together on the issue of postponing oil deliveries.
According to FM Péter Szijjártó, when the possibility of sending Hungarian and Slovak experts to Ukraine was raised, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, responded by saying that
Hungary and Slovakia should instead send soldiers to Ukraine.
As the politician also emphasized, this clearly expressed Brussels’ expectation that Hungary should play a military role in the Ukrainian conflict.
The government’s position, however, remains that Hungary will not send soldiers to Ukraine and that its primary goal is to establish peace as soon as possible.
Viktor Orbán commented on the statements in a Facebook post:
“The cat is out of the bag in Brussels. There is no technical error here. The Ukrainian oil blockade is the result of a conscious political decision in Kyiv.”
Fact
As Hungary Today reported, the transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline was suspended following a Russian airstrike at 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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Via Mandiner; Featured photo: EP/Alain ROLLAND
The post Foreign Minister Confirms: Kaja Kallas Wants Hungarian Soldiers for Ukraine appeared first on Hungary Today.
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Coordinated action by the Commission & Ukraine to block oil supplies via the Friendship pipeline.
There is no technical obstacle to restarting oil transport. This is… pic.twitter.com/yYqqF7sUjG
