Project announced by Hungary and Slovakia to counter 'the kind of blackmail we are experiencing from the Ukrainians'
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has announced that he has signed an agreement with Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova to build a direct connection between the oil refineries in Bratislava and Szazhalombatta, Slovak news agency TASR wrote.
After the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, Szijjarto said he and Sakova signed an agreement earlier today to build a pipeline linking refineries in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Szazhalombatta, Hungary.
The Hungarian official estimated that the project will be completed in the first half of next year.
“It will be a 127-kilometer pipeline, capable of transporting 1.5 million tons of oil products, diesel and gasoline. It will represent an additional added value for Hungary's energy supply and can protect against the consequences of world wars and the wrong policies of Brussels,” said the head of Hungarian diplomacy, quoted by Agerpres.
He accused Ukraine of “blackmailing” Hungary and Slovakia, “with the support of Berlin and Brussels.”
“By connecting the oil refineries in Bratislava and Szazhalombatta (…), both Hungary and Slovakia will be more protected from the kind of blackmail we are currently experiencing from the Ukrainians, with the support of Berlin and Brussels,” Peter Szijjarto said.
Drujba pipeline, stopped since January
Peter Szijjarto's announcement comes as the Ukrainian section of the Drujba pipeline, which delivered Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, was decommissioned at the end of January. Kiev blamed a Russian attack in western Ukraine, but Budapest and Bratislava accused the Ukrainians of delaying the restart.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who had several exchanges with Ukrainian officials on this issue, announced on March 12 that a team of experts from Hungary had arrived in Kiev tasked with assessing the state of the Drujba pipeline.
In response, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the visit was not coordinated with the authorities in Kiev and that the Hungarian team has no official status and no scheduled meetings with Ukrainian officials.
In Brussels on Monday, Peter Szijjarto said Hungary would continue to block the 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine and the new sanctions package against Russia as long as oil flows through Drujba are stopped, according to Reuters.
