The Hungarian government has decided to ban the entry of a Ukrainian commander of a defense forces unit who, according to the official version from Budapest, is involved in the attacks on the Druzhba pipeline. This was announced by Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in a statement released on August 28.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Hungary Accuses Ukraine of Threatening Energy Security
Szijjártó emphasized that the ban applies to both Hungary and the entire Schengen area. According to him, the actions of the Ukrainian military regarding the pipeline are viewed by Budapest as an attack on the country’s sovereignty and a threat to its energy stability. The minister stated that due to these attacks, Hungary was forced to consider using its strategic oil reserves.
“This was an attack on Hungary’s sovereignty, which jeopardized our energy security and almost forced us to use our strategic reserves,” Szijjártó claims.
He stressed that Kyiv is allegedly aware of the importance of the pipeline for the energy supply of Hungary and Slovakia, and such strikes, according to the minister, harm these countries rather than Russia.
Currently, the name of the Ukrainian commander who has been banned from entry is not disclosed. Meanwhile, the commander of the Ukrainian Drone Forces, Robert Brovdi (“Madyar”), had previously reported on one of the attacks on the Druzhba, but did not mention any possible entry ban to Hungary.
Ukraine’s Response to Budapest’s Statements
In response to Szijjártó’s statement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reacted. He noted that the Hungarian minister made his statement after Russia’s missile strike on Kyiv. In his comment, Sybiha stated:
“How disgraceful to publish such a thing after a brutal attack by the terrorist state of Russia. Péter, if the Russian pipeline is more important to you than the Ukrainian children killed by Russia this morning, that is moral decay. Hungary is on the wrong side of history.”
The head of Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry added that Kyiv is preparing mirror measures in response, but has not yet provided details.
It should be noted that in August, oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies Russian oil to Hungary, was halted three times due to attacks on the infrastructure. The last, third strike on the pipeline in the Bryansk region occurred on the night of August 22, as reported by Robert Brovdi. Previous incidents took place on August 13 and 18.
The Hungarian authorities have repeatedly accused Ukraine of obstructing energy resource supplies. After the strike on the oil refinery in the Tambov region of Russia on the night of August 18, Andrii Sybiha urged Szijjártó to address complaints to Moscow.
On August 22, Hungary and Slovakia again reported the suspension of oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline due to another strike. Just on August 20, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry announced the resumption of oil transportation after the previous incident.