Orban: We will not give in to Zelensky's blackmail, I call on the EU to implement the Ukraine Association Agreement

"I expect the European Commission to increase political pressure on Ukraine so as not to undermine the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia. I also expect the European Commission to implement the relevant provisions of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement"

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Orban, Photo: Reuters
Orban, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced today that he had called on European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen to "implement the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine, which obliges Ukraine to allow oil supplies to Hungary" and restore the Druzhba oil pipeline.

In a letter to the EC President, which he published on the X network, Orban stated that "there is no technical or operational reason that would prevent" the Druzhba oil pipeline, which Ukraine, as he stated, is blocking, from "immediately returning to normal operation."

He wrote that Hungary "will not give in to blackmail" from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Ukraine's lack of willingness to reopen the Druzhba oil pipeline is a result of purely political reasons, with the intention of interfering in the ongoing election campaign in Hungary," Orban said.

He wrote that Hungary and Slovakia had proposed "a fact-finding mission with the participation of experts (from Hungary and Slovakia) to assess the status of the gas pipeline in Ukraine," but that "all our efforts were rejected."

"Although Ukraine's actions violate its legal obligations towards the European Union, we have no reason to believe that legal remedies under international and EU law would yield tangible results in restoring our energy supply in the short term," the statement added.

Orban called on the EC to support Hungary in "neutralizing the energy weapons used by Ukraine."

"I expect the European Commission to increase political pressure on Ukraine so as not to undermine the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia. I also expect the European Commission to implement the relevant provisions of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement," it said.

Orban added that "we cannot accept foreign interference in our democratic processes and we will reject all such attempts."

"In that spirit, I would like to inform you that, until Ukraine returns to normal, I am not in a position to support any decision in the European Union that is in favor of Ukraine," the post concluded.

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