Орбан обвиняет Зеленского в шантаже и предостерегает от долгосрочных последствий из-за атак на нефтепровод Дружба

Премьер-министр Венгрии Виктор Орбан accused the Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky of “blackmail” following attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline and promised that the “open threats” from Kyiv would not go without “long-term consequences.” “Zelensky openly threatened Hungary. He admitted that they are targeting the Druzhba pipeline because we do not support their accession to the European Union. This once again proves that the Hungarian people made the right choice,” emphasized Orban (his comments were cited by Magyar Nemzet). He further added that Kyiv cannot secure its position in the EU through “blackmail, explosions, and threats.”

Earlier, Zelensky hinted that the future of the Druzhba pipeline, which delivers fuel from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia, depends on Budapest’s stance regarding Ukraine’s EU membership. Subsequently, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto urged the Ukrainian president to refrain from threatening the country’s energy safety. “The war, with which we have no involvement, does not provide a legitimate rationale for violating our sovereignty,” Szijjarto stressed. Over the past two weeks, Hungary reported three attacks on the Druzhba pipeline, all targeting oil pumping stations located in Russia. Twice these attacks resulted in the suspension of fuel transport, with the most recent incident occurring on August 22.

Hungary opposes Ukraine’s EU membership, as Orban has stated, due to the country’s lack of “clear borders,” “a functioning economy,” and “real sovereignty,” arguing that its inclusion could lead to “endless war.” The Hungarian prime minister proposed that Ukraine serves as a “buffer state” between the EU and Russia. Additionally, Orban claimed that during a survey regarding Ukraine’s EU membership, 95% of participants (2.1 million people) were against it. However, he neglected to mention that this number represented only about 29% of the total Hungarian electorate. Previously, Budapest has consistently obstructed the provision of financial and military aid to Ukraine from the EU and has hindered the implementation of sanctions against Russia.