Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga commented on the statement made by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s words regarding the bilateral friendship between the countries on social media.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Sybiga’s Statements in Response to Szijjártó’s Accusations
In his address, Sybiga emphasized that the Ukrainian president should not be told what to say or when to say it, as he is the head of the Ukrainian state. The minister also urged Hungary to independently ensure its own energy security and to eliminate its energy dependence on Russia, as most European countries are doing.
“I will respond in a Hungarian style. There is no need to tell the Ukrainian president what to do or say and when. He is the president of Ukraine, not Hungary. Hungary’s energy security is in your hands. Diversify and become independent from Russia, like the rest of Europe.”
Response from the Hungarian Side and the Situation with the Druzhba Pipeline
Prior to this, Péter Szijjártó stated that Volodymyr Zelensky allegedly used Ukraine’s national holiday to make threats against Hungary, and he emphasized the need for mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries. The Hungarian Foreign Minister also accused Ukraine of recent attacks on Hungary’s energy supply, stressing that such actions could be seen as encroachments on the country’s sovereignty, and he called on the Ukrainian president to stop such threats and risks to energy security.
During a recent press conference in Kyiv, Zelensky noted that Ukraine has always maintained friendly relations with Hungary; however, the future of this friendship now depends on Budapest’s position. The president did not specify whether he was referring to the Druzhba pipeline or the overall nature of interstate relations when responding to questions about the consequences of attacks on energy infrastructure and their impact on the actions of the Hungarian authorities.
Oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia to Hungary were halted three times in August due to infrastructure damage. The third strike on the pipeline in the Bryansk region of Russia was reported by the commander of the Ukrainian Drone Forces, Robert Brovdi (“Madyar”), on the night of August 22. Previous incidents of supply stoppage occurred on August 13 and 18. Following the recent events, the Hungarian authorities accused Ukraine of obstructing energy supplies, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga advised his Hungarian counterpart to address complaints to Moscow.
On August 22, Hungary, followed by Slovakia, announced another halt to oil flow through the Druzhba pipeline due to a new attack on the infrastructure. At the same time, on August 20, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry reported the resumption of supplies after a previous stoppage.