Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accused Ukraine of undermining Hungary’s energy security. He addressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an open letter published on February 26.
What Orbán Said
In a social media post, Orbán claimed that Ukraine had attacked Hungary’s energy security by blocking the Druzhba oil pipeline.
He argued that Ukraine cannot accept the position of the Hungarian government and people regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. According to Orbán, for four years, Ukraine has tried to pressure Hungary into entering the war against Russia. He also claimed that Kyiv has secured support from Brussels and from Hungary’s opposition.
“We also see that you, Brussels, and the Hungarian opposition are coordinating efforts to bring a pro-Ukraine government to power in Hungary,” Orbán wrote.
The Hungarian prime minister repeated his accusation that Ukraine threatens Hungary’s security. He said that blocking the Druzhba pipeline puts energy supplies for Hungarian families at risk. Orbán stressed that the pipeline plays a crucial role for Hungary. He also claimed that the Ukrainian government’s actions contradict Hungarian national interests.
“We, the Hungarian people, are not responsible for the situation in which Ukraine finds itself. We sympathise with the Ukrainian people, but we do not wish to participate in the war. We do not want to finance the war effort, and we do not want to pay more for energy,” Orbán added.
He called on Ukraine to “change its anti-Hungarian policy.” As a first step, he urged Kyiv to immediately reopen the Druzhba pipeline. He also demanded that Zelenskyy “refrain from any further attacks on Hungary’s energy security.”
“More respect for Hungary!” Orbán wrote.
Context
On January 27, Russian forces attacked a section of the Druzhba pipeline in the Lviv region. Authorities had to halt oil transit through the pipeline. Several EU countries, including Hungary and Slovakia, were left without oil supplies.
Afterward, Hungary accused Ukraine of failing to restore the transit of Russian oil to EU countries. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that no technical obstacles prevent the resumption of supplies. He also stated that Hungary would continue to block the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia. In addition, Budapest opposes a planned €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine. Szijjártó accused Kyiv of pursuing a hostile policy toward Hungary.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that Orbán ordered the military to guard energy facilities due to what he described as a “threat” from Ukraine. He deployed troops to protect energy infrastructure, saying the move would prevent potential attacks and safeguard Hungary’s energy network.
