We are ready to support Ukraine once we receive our oil, - Orbán

Orbán says there will be no aid for Ukraine until the Druzhba pipeline is restored

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán arrived at the EU summit and stated that he would not support any decision regarding aid to Ukraine until the "Druzhba" oil pipeline is restored.

This was reported by Censor.NET, citing Interfax-Ukraine.

What is known?

"Hungary's position is very simple. We are ready to support Ukraine once we receive the oil they are blocking. Until then, there is no solution that benefits Ukraine," he said before the start of the European Council meeting.

Orbán emphasized that Hungary is "waiting for the oil."

"Everything else is just a fairy tale. So we believe only in facts. The oil must reach Hungary. And then that’s a new chapter. Until then, we cannot support any pro-Ukrainian proposal," the Hungarian prime minister added.

According to Orbán, the issue of oil supplies is "not political, but existential."

"Obtaining oil is a matter of survival for Hungarians. Without this oil, all households in Hungarian companies will go bankrupt. This is no joke. This is not a political game. Zelenskyy must understand that this is not a game. For Hungarians, this is an absolutely existential issue," he explained.

When asked whether, after Hungary receives the oil, he would support or oppose the decision to formally open negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, Orbán said: "Hungary does not support any pro-Ukrainian decisions until the oil issue is resolved."

What happened before?

It was previously reported that the European Commission is seeking to provide Ukraine with a loan of 90 billion euros, despite opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Consequently, efforts are underway to find a way to override his veto, as Ukraine is set to run out of money in March. At the same time, European leaders are reluctant to put pressure on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during the election campaign.
Earlier, European Commission President von der Leyen and European Council President Costa sent a letter to Zelenskyy in which they offered Ukraine technical and financial assistance to resume oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline.
Zelenskyy told EU leaders that it will take about a month and a half to restore transit through the Druzhba pipeline following the Russian strikes.

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 resume via the Druzhba pipeline.
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.