BUDAPEST, March 20: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Friday raised the prospect of further actions his government could take against Ukraine to force the resumption of Russian oil deliveries that have been stalled to Hungary and Slovakia since January.
Speaking to media in Brussels a day after he blocked a 90-billion euro (USD 104-billion) European Union loan to Ukraine, Orbán said he and his government have “a lot of cards in our hands” beyond holding up the financial aid Kyiv needs to equip its armed forces and keep its economy running.
“We have other tools as well,” he said. “Forty percent of Ukraine’s electricity supply goes through Hungary, we haven’t touched that yet. (The EU) constantly wants to introduce new sanctions (against Russia). That will require unanimity, and we will not give it.”
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Tensions between Hungary and Ukraine have escalated in recent weeks into a bitter feud over Hungary’s access to Russian oil through a pipeline that crosses Ukrainian territory.
Oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline were interrupted after what Ukraine said was a Russian drone strike damaged the pipeline’s infrastructure. Hungary’s government has accused Ukraine of deliberately creating an “oil blockade” to hold up supplies of Russian crude, and has promised to block all EU measures to assist Kyiv until shipments resume.
Both led by prime ministers with cordial relations with the Kremlin, Hungary and Slovakia are the only EU countries to continue importing Russian oil.
In an effort to persuade Orbán to lift his block on the loan, EU officials on Tuesday said the bloc had offered Ukraine technical support and funding to repair the pipeline, an offer Kyiv accepted.
On Friday, Orbán also threatened to veto the EU’s next seven-year budget if it includes financial aid for Ukraine, adding: “We have a lot of cards in our hands, so I don’t think it’s worth picking a fight with Hungary.”
EU leaders on Thursday criticized Orbán over his blocking of the loan for Ukraine, accusing him of holding up critical aid and undermining EU decision-making in an effort to win an election at home.
As Orbán faces what is expected to be the tightest election of his career on April 12, he has increasingly relied on a broad anti-Ukraine campaign portraying the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as an existential threat to Hungary. He has alleged that the Ukrainian leader, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, wants to drag Hungary into Russia’s war, now in its fifth year, and has argued that his reelection is the only guarantee of peace and security. (AP)
