The Ukrainian forces were accused of attacking the Soviet-era Dolzba pipeline several times this month, stopping the flow of Russian oil to Hungary and neighboring Slovakia, RT reported.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Sunday with a smile and a play at the name of the pipeline.
Orban described Zelensky’s comments as “a public threat” and confession that Kiev intentionally puts his country’s energy security in deliberately “in favor of EU membership.”
“This shows that the Hungarians made the right choice,” Orban added. Earlier this year, Hungary blocked talks on EU membership with Ukraine, following a national referendum in which more than 2 million Hungarians (about 95% of voters) refused to bid Kiev.
Orban’s remarks were reflected by his chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas.
“Even if Ukraine is already a member of the EU, we still don’t have the right to direct those who buy energy,” Gurias emphasized.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Syjart also cited a sharp responsibilities for Zelensky’s “blackmail” in a post on X. He wrote on Sunday.
In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiga argued that Syjart could not tell Zelensky “what to do, when, and when to say,” urging Budapest to “be independent of Russia, just like the rest of Europe.”
MA/PR