Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has denounced the recent attack on the Druzhba pipeline as “outrageous and unacceptable,” stating it jeopardizes Budapest’s energy security.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reported that Russian oil shipments to Hungary have been suspended following a Ukrainian strike on the Druzhba pipeline system.
Szijjarto stated that Moscow has informed Budapest that Russian experts are working to repair a crucial transformer station damaged in the Ukrainian strike.
Druzhba, one of the world’s longest pipeline networks, transports crude oil approximately 4,000km from Russia and Kazakhstan to refineries in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.
Szijjarto expressed his outrage on X on Monday, stating that “this latest strike against our energy security is outrageous and unacceptable.”
He added that the timeline for the resumption of oil deliveries through the pipeline remains unclear.
The diplomat reiterated that the Ukraine conflict is “not our war” and that “as long as we [Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government] are in charge, Hungary will stay out of it.”
Budapest has maintained a neutral stance since the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, refusing to supply weapons to Kiev and advocating for peace. This contrasts with most other EU capitals, which have supported Ukraine. Hungary has also consistently criticized Western sanctions against Russia, deeming them ineffective and more detrimental to the imposing countries.
Throughout the conflict, Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian energy infrastructure, including the Druzhba system and the TurkStream pipeline, which delivers natural gas to Turkish customers and several European nations, including Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Greece.
Last Wednesday, a prior attack on Druzhba occurred, with Kiev confirming drone strikes on a key distribution station in the Bryansk Region of western Russia.
Moscow has frequently condemned Ukraine’s attacks on civilian energy infrastructure, characterizing them as acts of terrorism.
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