Europe Asia News

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban described Ukraine’s decision to shut down the Druzhba pipeline as “political blackmail” and called on the European Union to take action.

Orban argued that there is no technical obstacle preventing the pipeline from operating, a claim he said is supported by satellite imagery.

In his letter to European Commission President von der Leyen, Orban stated:

“We will not yield to President Zelensky’s blackmail. Today, I called on President von der Leyen to implement the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which obliges Ukraine to allow oil shipments to Hungary. Ukraine’s reluctance to reopen the Druzhba pipeline is entirely politically motivated and aims to interfere in the ongoing election campaign in Hungary.”

Noting that diplomatic efforts have been unsuccessful, Orban added: “I expect the European Commission to increase political pressure on Ukraine to prevent it from undermining the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia. We cannot accept foreign interference in our democratic processes and will repel all such attempts. In this spirit, I wish to state that until Ukraine returns to normalcy, I will not be able to support any decision within the European Union that supports Ukraine.”