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Hungary Threatens to Block €90B for Ukraine Over Druzhba Pipeline
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has publicly committed to maintaining a blockade on European financing for Ukraine.
This position will remain until Kyiv restores the flow of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline, according to European Pravda on March 6.
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The Prime Minister stated that there are no physical obstacles preventing the operation of the Druzhba pipeline. He described the situation as a political choice made by Ukrainian authorities.
“The situation is clear: the Druzhba pipeline has no technical problems, the basis (for the cessation of its operation) is a political decision. The Ukrainians decided to cut off Hungary from the Russian oil that belongs to us,” Orban said.
The dispute directly affects a proposed European support package for Ukraine totaling €90B ($98B) over two years. Orbán explicitly linked Hungary’s veto of this financial aid to the status of the pipeline.
He ruled out any adjustment to this stance until the oil transit resumes. According to the Prime Minister, Hungary will act strictly according to its own national interests during EU voting sessions.
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Orbán clarified that external pressure would not change his government’s decision regarding the 90 billion euro package.
“Nobody, even the Germans, can demand a positive answer from us. We will respond (in the EU vote, which Hungary is blocking) as our interests require. And we will never support any financial aid that Brussels may provide to Ukraine until the Ukrainians let the oil through,” he stated.
He did not provide a guarantee that the veto would be lifted immediately, even if the pipeline restarts.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the restoration of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which had been damaged by Russian strikes, involved both technical and political factors.
He emphasized that Ukraine was an independent state and provided factual information regarding the destruction, noting that the country’s word should be sufficient for its partners.
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