Hungary calls on Ukraine to cease its attacks on Hungarian energy security, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Brussels on Wednesday after being briefed on the attacks on the Druzhba pipeline by Russia’s deputy energy minister, pointing out that Hungary supplies a significant share of Ukraine’s energy imports.
Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Szijjártó said the Ukrainian army had recently carried out multiple attacks on Russian energy infrastructure delivering oil to Hungary.
“This is outrageous,” Szijjártó said, according to a ministry statement. “We firmly call on the Ukrainians to immediately cease endangering Hungary’s energy security. Over the last few days, the Ukrainians haven’t just been attacking the crude delivery routes in the direction of Hungary, but they’ve also been attacking oil tankers.”
“So it’s clear that the Ukrainians are also launching attacks on civilian targets with a view to taking revenge on Hungarians and rendering the security of Hungary’s oil supply impossible,” the minister said.
He noted that currently 51 percent of Ukraine’s electricity imports and 58 percent of its natural gas imports come from Hungary, as does a significant share of its crude imports.
“I recommend that the Ukrainian decision-makers take this into consideration when they decide on attacking the oil delivery route to Hungary,” he said.
The minister said Ukraine’s attacks endangered the security of Hungary’s energy supply, which, he said, was a matter of sovereignty.
“We firmly call on the Ukrainians not to attack our sovereignty,” Szijjártó said. He said he had made it clear at Wednesday’s meeting that with Hungary playing “a bigger role than anyone else” in supplying Ukraine with energy for the winter, it expected both Kyiv and Brussels to “cease the physical and legal attacks on our energy security”.
Szijjártó said he had spoken by phone with Pavel Sorokin, Russia’s first deputy minister of energy, who had briefed him in detail on the attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline.
“He also said they are taking great efforts to protect the Druzhba pipeline and its associated infrastructure, and that the attacks — thanks to Russian defences — have caused only minor damage, which did not and do not endanger the oil supply to Hungary,” Szijjártó said.
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Featured image: depositphotos.com
well, for sure Hungary is donating oil, gas and power to Ukraine…anyhow Ukraine has no interest in loosing the crude oil transit fees….
“Outraged”! Really? Its okay for your boss putin to do it. Hypocrite. I had so much respect for Orban. Not any more,
Keep hitting those Russian oil and gas pipelines Ukraine and cut off the revenue sources for Putin’s war machine. No one gives a rat’s ass about Orban’s complaints. Hungary it is time for you to stop funding Putin’s war with your oil and gas purchases. This is all about Ukraine’s “sovereignty” and has nothing to do with Hungary’s “sovereignty” except in the Russian designed propaganda that Fidesz puts out.
Larry, concordo com sua opinião… Soberania não se VENDE…Orbán é nossa vergonha… Podeia ter sido um SENHOR PRESIDENTE…mas se tornou apenas um SERVIÇAL de Putin…. (este não vai demorar no poder… os tramas subterrâneos moscovitas militares…sabem comer pelos pés, os golpes de JUDO… sem JUIZO…
You do realize, Dear Larry, that Russia has even increased it’s exporting of oil, in recent months?
As to Ukrainian sovereignty : sadly, after having had their democratically elected government overthrown in the last 34 years, they do not have any.
Oh, and dare I forget – Blackrock has bought half of the Ukraine anyway, which in the end, is what this war is all about – the Rothschild Family, and their allied companies getting control again over Russian oil fields, as they had in the 1990s.
This kind of behavior has assured that Russia will not accept a peace proposal until Odessa has been lost.
Probably Blackrock will want their money back then, and probably the American taxpayer will be forced to give it, though it will be labeled as something else.
Idiot’s had three years to find substitutes (and it’s not like Hungary had a good deal with russia either, paying more than any other country IIRC).
Elect a russian servant and get some of what russia’s getting.
Putting the politics of all this to one side, it strikes me as unwise to bind your energy supply to a source country that’s at war with your immediate neighbour, the supply of which needs to pass through pipelines in both Russia and Ukraine which are at obvious risk of suffering irrepairable harm if attacked by munitions, even unintentionally. Surely such a source is de facto unreliable due to the realities of war? What would happen if a poorly aimed Russian missile wiped out the pipeline on Ukrainian territory and Ukraine is either unable or unwilling to repair it? They would be in a position to invoke the act of war term in the transit contract and walk away from the problem blameless.
Londonsteve you have committed the sin of presenting simple logic to take apart Fidesz orthodoxy.
Putting the politics of all this to one side, it strikes me as unwise to bind your energy supply to a source country that’s at war with your immediate neighbour, the supply of which needs to pass through pipelines in both Russia and Ukraine
It’s been this way for over 50 years, Dear Steve, since the ‘Druzhba/Baratság’ pipeline was built.
Until recently, after WWII, Hungary has had no oil fields or ports, so it has had to come from Russia.
No getting around the map.
And, no, Hungary does not have the money to buy outrageously expensive American gas from the Greek ships porting in Croatia.
The point I’m making is that a disabled pipeline serves no function and it could easily be knocked out of action considering it passes through an active war zone, mostly on the territory of two countries that are in a hot war with one another. In such circumstances it could (and should) be viewed as essential to set up alternative routes as a back-up plan in the event of a total shutdown which could easily happen at any point.
Thank you for the clarification, Dear Steve.
Merry Christmas!
Hungary must stop the electricity and gas supply to Ukraine IMMEDIATELY so they’ll stay in cold dark at Christmas.
And make it clear: one more attempt, just a lost bullet and all Ukrainians will be kicked back to Ukraine with an invoice of their hosting costs.
Simple.
Be careful what you wish for @lou … We are pretty vulnerable, ourselves. Very “Sovereign!”, etc. – however a small fish in a very hostile sea.
If Russia thought this was a realistic outcome, they could organise a false flag operation and blow up their own pipeline on Ukrainian territory. It’s easy to do, just aim enough missles at the right place then blame the Ukrainians for sabotage. Or do the damage on Russian territory where it’s far easier to blame it on Ukrainian weapons. The loss of revenue from Hungarian buyers would be more than compensated by a lack of energy imports weakening Ukraine to the point of capitulation.
If the Hungarians made such threats they’d be signing the death warrant of both Ukraine and the energy pipeline.
Repay “hosting” costs? You are kidding with this,no? Where do you think all of the Hungarians are, they are in other countries being “hosted”. Should they be charged as well? Most Ukrainians only passed through Hungary on their way to a better life in anywhere BUT Hungary.