We will not let Ukraine join the EU: Orbán resorts to outright blackmail over Druzhba
6 March 11:27
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has stated that Budapest will suspend the transit of supplies vital to Ukraine until Kyiv resumes operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Orbán’s statement.
Orbán also once again spoke out against Ukraine’s European integration.
“We will not give Ukrainians the money they are successfully demanding from other EU countries, we will not pay, and we will not let Ukraine into the EU,” he said.
The Hungarian prime minister believes that Ukraine’s accession to the European Union threatens not only Hungarian farmers but also the country’s national economy as a whole.
“Therefore, we must not hypocritically accept Ukraine’s demands, even if they blackmail us and threaten us with more serious consequences,” he said.
What preceded
Earlier, Hungary blocked the allocation of a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine, demanding the resumption of Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline.
Budapest promised to lift its veto only after supplies were resumed, arguing that this was a violation of the Association Agreement.
According to Western media reports, Ukraine could be left without funding as early as this spring.
In response, EU leaders plan to call for “intensified cooperation with third countries to bridge the €30 billion ($34.9 billion) gap.”
Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would give the address of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers if Budapest blocked the €90 billion loan.
In response, Orbán said he considered these words a threat not to him personally, but to all of Hungary.
Orbán then once again accused Ukraine of allegedly blocking oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline and threatened to resume its operation by force.
In his statement, he stressed that “there will be no compromises” and that he intends to “break the Ukrainian oil blockade by force.”
