Orbán once again calls for Druzhba oil pipeline to be reopened: No oil, no money

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Budapest will not change its position on the EU’s financial decisions regarding Ukraine until Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline are resumed.

He said this in a video he posted on Facebook, according to Censor.NET.

Orbán's Statement

As a reminder, on March 17, Ukraine accepted the EU's proposal to secure financial resources and expert support for resuming oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia via the "Druzhba" pipeline.

Orbán then stated that he had discussed the matter with European Council President António Costa and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

"If there's no oil, there's no money. I said that Hungary's position remains unchanged," the Hungarian prime minister emphasized.

Accusations against Ukraine

Orbán once again accused Ukraine of "refusing to accept" Hungarian "experts" who had come to inspect and assess the condition of the oil pipeline.

"They disagree and even openly state that they have no intention of supplying cheap Russian oil to Hungary," Orban complained.

He stated that he views this "oil blockade" as an opportunity for the opposition party "Tisa" to interfere in the Hungarian elections: "So the situation is extremely simple. If there is no oil, there is no money".

Russia's attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline

On January 7, a piece of infrastructure was damaged in Brody, Lviv region, as a result of a Russian attack. Naftogaz reported that the Russian military had attacked a critical infrastructure facility in western Ukraine. A fire broke out, and operations at the facility were halted.
According to the publication Enkorr, the facility in question is located in the city of Brody in the Lviv region and is connected to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
On February 12, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended since January 27 due to a Russian attack. He also said that Budapest was preparing to lodge a complaint regarding transit issues.
The governments of Hungary and Slovakia have announced a suspension of diesel fuel exports to Ukraine until Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline resume.
On March 11, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that a group of Hungarian citizens had entered Ukrainian territory without official status or scheduled official meetings.
President Zelenskyy stated that he is unaware of what the Hungarian delegation is doing in Ukraine.
Subsequently, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Zelenskyy of lying and published a Hungarian diplomatic note indicating that Budapest had requested a meeting between Cepec and Ukrainian Minister Denys Shmyhal.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry's note indicates that the Hungarian side did not coordinate its delegation's visit to the Druzhba oil pipeline with Ukraine and received proposals from Kyiv regarding alternative dates for the visit.