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PM Orbán: Hungary attacked by Ukraine
Hungary has been taken hostage and placed under an “oil blockade“, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview to public radio on Friday. Orbán said he would consult Slovak counterpart Robert Fico by phone to coordinate further joint action, saying it was essential to ensure that Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelensky opened the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Orbán: Hungary under attack, under oil blockade
The prime minister said the blockade was targeting the Hungarian economy, warning that if no oil flowed through the pipeline, “economic chaos” would ensue.
Petrol prices could rise to around 1,000 forints per litre, he said, citing experts of oil and gas company MOL, and this would spark widespread price increases, in turn disrupting normal economic activity. “It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say chaos could result“.
He added that, since the country was under attack, defensive measures were necessary. Hungary has suspended diesel fuel shipments to Ukraine, will not support the 90 billion euro EU loan or the 20th sanctions package, and will oppose any Brussels measure benefiting Ukraine until the oil supply is restored, Orbán declared.
The prime minister said it was also conceivable that Hungary could stop providing electricity to Ukraine, though since Hungarians also lived on the other side of the border, this move would be made as a last resort.
Zelensky lies about the oil blockade
The prime minister said he had received no response to his letter addressed to Volodymyr Zelensky. The Hungarian charge d’affaires in Kyiv was summoned and “they said all sorts of things there“, he said, adding that he did not consider this a “serious response“.
Western Europeans, he said, did not understand Ukraine or central European relations, and they took Zelensky at his word. His explanation that the oil blockade was for technical reasons was “a lie“, he added. Ukraine, Orbán said, was unwilling to accept a fact-finding mission and “western Europeans have started to come to their senses“.
Referring to Nord Stream, he said Ukraine was capable of blowing up “anything“, adding that this was “state terrorism“.
Tisza tells fairy tale
Put to him opposition Tisza Party accusations that government moves to protect critical energy infrastructure were a scare tactic and a false flag operation was under way, Orbán called the charges a “fairy tale” motivated by Ukrainian payments to the opposition party.
Orbán insisted Ukraine had infiltrated Hungarian politics and financed the Tisza Party, adding that its leader’s trip to Ukraine had been organised by a “publicly known” spy identified by Hungary’s intelligence services. “The Ukrainians are up to their jugular in the Tisza Party,” he declared.
Peril of wae has never been this close
Ukraine, he said, was working to disconnect Hungary from Russian oil and to ensure that money from Brussels flowed to Ukraine. It also wanted Hungary to join the ranks of countries at war, he added.
“The peril of war has never been as close to Hungary as it is now, but we won’t allow ourselves to be dragged into it. We won’t provide weapons, and we will definitely not provide soldiers,” Orbán said.
“Everyone across Europe — apart from ourselves and Slovakia, and now even the Czechs are also shifting their tone — talks about this war as if it were our war, as though it’s western Europe’s war,” Orbán said. “And in their minds it is, but not in ours.“
“We sympathise with the Ukrainians and understand what’s happening, but we have nothing to do with this war, and we won’t take part in it,” he said.
Croatia must transport MOL’s oil to Hungary
The prime minister said Hungary expected Croatia to fulfill its contractual obligations. If a MOL tanker ship arrived in the Croatian port, the oil must be offloaded and sent to Hungary via the pipeline, he emphasised, adding that this was Croatia’s obligation, not a business opportunity. “They cannot afford not to deliver this oil to Hungary,” he declared.
Orbán noted that Druzhba was Hungary’s primary source of oil, while the one running through Croatia served as a auxiliary route. While Zagreb had proposed upgrading the Croatian route to a primary pipeline, potentially increasing capacity, Orbán said such a shift would require significant investment and testing.
“We need two pipelines: a primary and a backup,” he said, warning against dependence on a single source.
Orbán said the reason why he considered a proposal by Tisza’s energy chief that Hungary should wean itself off Russian oil dangerous was because “then we’ll be at the mercy of whoever controls the remaining pipeline.”
“So I don’t understand why Tisza’s energy chief, who came over from Shell, keeps spouting such nonsense, unless it’s because the moment Russian oil stops flowing through Druzhba and Croatia blocks oil flows as well, we’ll have no choice but to buy oil from somewhere else — say, Shell,” he said.
I can’t believe Orban is really a Christian? For him, it seems there’s only the Old Testament, dripping with blood and riddled with revenge and cruelty. But even here, the commandment “you shall not lie or bear false witness against your neighbor” applies.
My Fellow Christians, Dear Peter, are often at odds over many many things, and, yes, many do have a faith that often seems more Jewish than not.
Hungary has been under attack from the EU 👈 the 10 years I’ve been here – they want him out – to continue the killing in Ukraine. If Orban goes don’t be surprised if the US leaves NATO
Yet strange how how Hungary would never leave the EU despite being “under attack” (insert laugh emoji).
russia invaded Ukraine, Tn. No one else, just russia acting on its own. Orban has chosen to side with russia and has only offered the smallest amount of criticism possible toward russia while echoing russian talking propaganda non-stop for four years.
It’s all Fidesz Kremlin designed theatre. It will get worse the closer we get to the election. What it really does is pull back the cover and reveal the nature of Orban and his government for what they are.
What is Mr. Orbán up to now? Is he staging a performance at Hungary’s border with Ukraine to raise concerns among citizens? Or is he laying the groundwork for later declaring a state of emergency and thereby invalidating election results? According to Western researchers, the idea that Ukraine would strike Hungary is delusional and almost laughable.
Interesting speculation about invalidating the election results. Fidesz is so desperate to hang onto power that they may be capable of anything. If the appearance is clear that Fidesz lost but invalidates the results no one would recognize the government except Putin, Trump and a few other autocrats. Hungary be subjected to Article 7 procedures in the EU. No money and complete isolation. If it was Serbia you would see a popular rebellion but the Hungarian culture is more sheep-like. There would be protests but I’m not sure how far popular resistance would go.
‘Fidesz is so desperate to hang onto power that they may be capable of anything.á
Well, yes, Dear Larry – I am sure they, Fidesz, would like to hang on to power.
As to desperation, on their part – I do not see it.
They, Fidesz, seem confident to me, and the pollsters that were accurate in 2022 demonstrate why.
This is what Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and the Sweden Democrats said before the last elections, namely that the election polls from the impartial institutes were incorrect and were fraudulent. The result is known, otherwise you can read it on the Internet.
But hope always dies last for those who refuse reality, and yours probably never dies! If, contrary to expectations, this happens and hope dies after the election, there are enough propaganda pamphlets and conspiracy theories in which you can find comfort.
Orban’s reaction is so hectic, chaotic and unrealistic that one no longer has to assume just desperation, but pure fear. Like a mantra, he repeatedly paints the same doom scenarios for Hungary that would occur if the opposition wins the election. His hope is that by continually repeating the same, made-up horror, people who think differently will eventually believe it to be true and then vote for Hungary’s savior and his guardian angel, Trump. Whether he is not mistaken, because experience also shows that with constant repetition, people increasingly stop listening and the desired result turns into its opposite.
So keep hoping and write your contradictory and nonsensical comments.
By the way, I haven’t heard anything from you about developments in Iran! Do you now support your friend Trump taking down Russia’s close ally Iran? After all, you are the great friend of both of them. Do you now support Russia or the USA in this matter?
A new war is more likely to break out in Iran than between Hungary and Ukraine! We haven’t heard anything about this from Orban yet, or is that because it involves the great peacemaker Trump and the peace-loving Russians’ ally, Iran? I know the warmongers are in Ukraine, Germany, and the EU! That’s been repeated a thousand times by now.
Iran rejected key U.S. demands for a nuclear deal during talks on Feb. 26 in Geneva, knowledgeable sources told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). They said U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Whitkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner said Iran must destroy its three main nuclear sites – at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – and hand over its entire stockpile of enriched uranium to the United States. In addition, they noted that any deal should be open-ended.
Iran’s representatives were not comfortable with the prospect of dismantling nuclear facilities, completely halting uranium enrichment and exporting its stockpile abroad, and imposing permanent restrictions on the nuclear program, WSJ interlocutors said. The head of Iran’s government information council, Elyas Hazrati, said after the talks that “nothing will be taken out of Iran” and uranium enrichment “will continue according to the country’s needs.”
According to the WSJ, Iran has previously offered to temporarily suspend uranium enrichment, remove part of its stockpile to a third country and conclude economic agreements with the United States. President Trump demands that Iran completely stop enriching uranium and threatens a military strike if an agreement is not reached.
Since the beginning of the year, the United States has pulled significant forces to the shores of Iran and began to withdraw its troops from bases in the Middle East. At the same time, Trump said he was considering a limited strike on the Islamic republic to force Tehran to make a deal. On February 19, the head of the White House said he would make a decision on Iran in 10 days.
‘Iran’s representatives were not comfortable with the prospect of dismantling nuclear facilities, completely halting uranium enrichment and exporting its stockpile abroad, and imposing permanent restrictions on the nuclear program, WSJ interlocutors said.’
Given the tyrannical behavior of my country, and our puppetmaster, Iran’s stance is perfectly logical.
Where is the new commentary on the current developments in Iran? Just a small hint to clarify the significance for your expected response: If you support Iran in the war (as above), you are speaking out against Orban, because he stands firmly behind the USA.
Whew! And we have another six weeks of this before the election?
Unlike many here, I do not think that Orbán is doing this for electioneering, because the reliable Hungarian polls show him with a solid lead.
Never will a more opportune moment come to take back Transkarpaty.
Be that as it may be, Orbán Viktor has a logical aversion to war.
That said, I do not think V. Putin would object, if Orbán got over his aversion.
An interesting moment in Modern Hungarian history.
“Never will a more opportune moment come to take back Transkarpaty.”
With people like you, there will never be peace in Europe. Now I understand even better why you admire Russia and Putin! You’re cut from the same cloth.
Oh Péter, you didnt recognise that he is a Russsian AI BOT 😂
It doesn’t matter, but I can’t just let such nonsense stand unchallenged.
Artificial intelligence?
I don’t believe that. It’s obvious he doesn’t belong to a professional group accustomed to written argumentation or expression. Furthermore, his knowledge is likely on par with that of a fourth-grade elementary school student. He probably comes from the lower or lower middle class. What’s certain is that he’s a believer in many conspiracy theories.
It would be pathetic for Russia if this were a Russian AI, because there’s absolutely no sign of intelligence here, even with the best will in the world. Not even the Russian AI could be that limited!