Behavior of Europeans is crazy. We will not survive without Russian oil, - Orban

Orban criticizes Europeans for rejecting Russian oil

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán considers the EU's decision to phase out Russian energy resources to be insane.

He made this statement following the EU leaders' summit on March 19, according to Censor.NET, which cites the European Parliament.

What is known?

"The fact is that a global oil shortage is knocking on our door right now. So the Europeans’ behavior and strategy on this issue are simply insane. We undoubtedly need Russian oil. We will not be able to survive in this situation, which is becoming increasingly serious under these conditions, without access to Russian fuel resources. Europe will not be able to survive without this," the Hungarian prime minister emphasized.

Orbán also accused the EU of allegedly seeking to bring about a change in the Hungarian government in the April elections.

"Here in Brussels, many people, especially within the EPP (European People's Party), believe that the only way out of this situation is for the national government to lose the election and for a pro-Ukrainian government to be formed."

"And this new pro-European government, this pro-Ukrainian government, will follow the same path as the others—that is, it will provide money and military equipment to the Ukrainians… They are even funding the Hungarian opposition in order to replace the national government with a pro-Ukrainian one," he added.

The Blocking of Aid and the "Friendship" Issue

Financial aid to Ukraine is currently on hold due to the stance taken by Hungary and Slovakia, as unanimous support from all EU member states is required for its approval.

Budapest is making its approval contingent on the resumption of operations on the Druzhba oil pipeline, which supplies Russian oil to Hungary. This refers to the section damaged by a drone attack in January.

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.