Hungary’s FM accuses Ukraine of violating sovereignty, warns of consequences
Photo: Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó (Getty Images)
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Ukraine had allegedly once again attacked the TurkStream gas pipeline. According to him, this is "a very serious attack on Hungary’s sovereignty," as energy security is the foundation of the country’s independence, Index.hu reports.
What Szijjártó said
Speaking at a political event in the town of Mezőkovácsháza, Szijjártó claimed that Ukraine is trying to "place Hungary under a full energy blockade" amid the global energy crisis.
"This is a very serious attack on Hungary’s sovereignty, because attacks on energy security and the security of energy supply are considered attacks on sovereignty,” the minister said.
Szijjártó added that the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies cheap Russian oil, is physically fully capable of transporting fuel to Hungary, but claimed that Ukraine is blocking it.
"We will, of course, defend ourselves and fight for the use of cheap Russian oil and cheap Russian gas in Hungary, because if we lose this opportunity, preferential tariffs will end, and protected fuel prices will also come to an end," Szijjártó said.
According to him, if preferential tariffs are abolished, utility bills for Hungarians could triple.
TurkStream pipeline
TurkStream is a gas pipeline that delivers Russian gas via the Black Sea to Türkiye and to countries in Southern and Central Europe, including Hungary. Hungary remains dependent on Russian gas, and Budapest has repeatedly opposed sanctions on Russian energy imports.
Parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled for April 12, which will determine the country’s course for the coming years. According to Politico, European leaders see strong chances for opposition candidate Péter Magyar, although his position on Ukraine may not differ significantly from that of current Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Both politicians oppose military aid to Kyiv and emphasize the importance of maintaining energy ties with Russia.
Against this backdrop, tensions have escalated around the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. Ukraine’s decision not to allow an EU mission to inspect the pipeline has divided and disappointed some EU countries.
To avoid responding daily to what it calls "absurd statements" from Budapest, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has launched Hungarian Radio Ukraine. It is a round-the-clock trolling platform—an official channel that systematically publishes facts to debunk Hungarian propaganda.
