At a press conference in Kyiv on August 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted that strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline were linked to Hungary’s refusal to back his country’s bid to join the European Union.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó responded in a Facebook post, accusing Ukraine of “violating energy security” and saying the strikes could be regarded “as a violation of sovereignty.”
“The war, to which we have no connection, is not a legitimate justification for violating our sovereignty,” Szijjártó wrote, calling on Zelensky to “stop threatening Hungary and stop endangering its energy security.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andriy Sybiha, replied on X. “I will reply in a Hungarian manner,” he wrote. “You don’t need to tell the Ukrainian President what to do or say, and when. He is the President of Ukraine, not Hungary.”
“Hungary’s energy security is in your own hands,” Sybiha added. “Diversify and become independent from Russia, like the rest of Europe.”
Ukrainian drones have struck the Druzhba pipeline several times since early August, forcing shutdowns. The pipeline delivers Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. The foreign ministers of both countries complained to the European Commission about the attacks, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote to U.S. President Donald Trump. According to Hungarian media, Trump replied that he was “angry” about the situation with Druzhba.
