The Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski publicly disagreed with the Hungarian authorities’ decision to ban Ukrainian commander Robert Brovda, known as ‘Madyar’, from entering the country. The diplomat emphasized that amid Russia’s missile attacks on Kyiv, Hungary is imposing restrictions on a Ukrainian military officer who, being an ethnic Hungarian, has taken a stand for Ukraine’s freedom.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Sikorski’s Position and Ukrainian Response
In his address, Sikorski highlighted that Poland is ready to support Commander Brovda. He offered ‘Madyar’ to be a guest in Poland if he cannot enter Hungary. This initiative was supported by the ‘Madyar Birds’ unit founded by Brovda, thanking the Polish minister for his ‘strong support and clear position’.
“Commander Madyar: if you need a place to rest and Hungary won’t let you in, please be our guest in Poland,” he added.
Reasons for the Ban and Consequences for Relations
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto previously announced the ban on Robert Brovda’s entry and restrictions on his access to the Schengen Area. This decision was made due to Brovda’s unit’s involvement in attacks on the ‘Druzhba’ pipeline, which supplies Russian oil to Hungary. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha responded by calling the Hungarian side’s position disgraceful, especially on the day of Russia’s massive missile attack on Kyiv, and promised appropriate measures from Ukraine.
Brovda himself also criticized the actions of the Hungarian authorities, noting that Hungary is protecting the ‘Druzhba’ pipeline, and advised them to “not take on more than you can handle,” commenting on the ban on entry to the Schengen Area.
In August of this year, oil supplies through the ‘Druzhba’ pipeline were halted three times due to attacks on infrastructure. The last strike on a facility in Russia’s Bryansk region occurred on the night of August 22, as reported personally by Robert Brovda. Previous attacks were recorded on August 13 and 18.
The Hungarian authorities accused Ukraine of creating obstacles to the flow of energy resources into the country. Following the attack on the oil refinery in the Tambov region on the night of August 18, Ukrainian Minister Andriy Sybiha advised his Hungarian counterpart to direct complaints to Moscow.