Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on the 25th of March that he would cut off gas supplies to Ukraine if the flow of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline is not restored, Politico reports.
Orbán, who has been in power since 2010, issued the new ultimatum just weeks before Hungary’s parliamentary elections scheduled for the 12th of April. He said in a video posted on Facebook that Ukraine had blocked Druzhba for 30 days and that the Hungarians had so far successfully protected themselves from Ukrainian pressure and blackmail.
The Hungarian’s statements are the latest escalation in tensions between Budapest and Kyiv, and Orbán has already used his veto power to block a 90 billion euro European Union loan to Ukraine. The veto was based on the fact that Ukraine was deliberately delaying the repair of the pipeline. Meanwhile, the international market is experiencing a significant increase in the price of energy resources, caused by the US and Israel’s war against Iran, but
Orbán still insists that gas in his country is one of the cheapest in Europe.
The Hungarian Prime Minister explained that action is needed to break the oil blockade and ensure the country’s necessary energy supply. That is why gas supplies to Ukraine will be gradually terminated, and the stocks will be stored in Hungary. Ukraine does not agree with this, and Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said that the only thing the Hungarians will achieve will be to deprive the country of more than a billion dollars in profits. Tykhyi stressed that it is Orbán’s business what to do, and that Ukraine currently has the necessary amount of gas. Also, the Ukrainians know where to get the missing gas if the Hungarians cut off supplies.
Orbán is making the most of the pre-election period, and sensing a threat to his position, is using the “threat” posed by Ukraine to Hungary as one of his main trump cards. A poll conducted in late February showed that the pro-European Tisza party led by Péter Magyar is about eight percentage points ahead of Orbán. At the last meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, Orbán accused the bloc’s institutions of supporting Magyar.
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