Volodymyr Zelenskiy simply issued “a death threat” against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Budapest's head of diplomacy, Minister Peter Szijjarto, said on Thursday, after Ukraine's president claimed he could send the Ukrainian army after Orban if he does not unlock 90 billion euros in EU financial aid to Ukraine, MTI news agency reports.
The financial support package for Kiev was blocked by a veto by Viktor Orban in response to the delay in restarting the Ukrainian section of the Drujba oil pipeline, which supplies Hungary with Russian oil.
“Hungary cannot be blackmailed, regardless of threats,” Szijjarto said at a forum in the Hungarian city of Sopron. By saying that “his soldiers will pay a visit to the Hungarian prime minister” if Hungary does not agree to Ukraine receiving European money, Zelenskiy “crossed every line”, claimed the Hungarian foreign minister.
“It is a completely new situation in Europe for the president of a European country to threaten the death or assassination of the prime minister of a NATO and EU member country,” continued Peter Szijjarto, quoted by Agerpres.
“We will not pay for their war, nor will we pay two, three or four times more for energy just because of them,” added the head of Hungarian diplomacy, referring to Ukraine and the closure of the Drujba oil pipeline.
Zelenski's warning to Orban
Earlier on Thursday, Zelenski veiledly threatened Viktor Orban with military action if Hungary did not unlock the 90 billion euro financial aid offered to Ukraine by the EU.
“We hope that this person from the EU (Viktor Orban, no) does not block the 90 billion, or at least the first tranche of the 90 billion, and that our military will still have weapons. If this is not the case, then we will give the address of this person to our armed forces, our boys. So that they can call him and talk to him, in their language,” Zelenski said in Kyiv at the beginning of a government meeting, in the presence of the press.
The Russians “are killing us, and we should give oil to poor Orban, because without it he can't win the elections?” Zelenski continued.
Also on Thursday, the leader from Kiev had previously supported these statements, that the Drujba oil pipeline, which passes through Ukraine and supplies Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, could become operational again only in a month and a half, although he admitted that he would like this pipeline to stop working at all.
The Drujba pipeline, in the middle of the dispute
Hungary and Slovakia are still forced to use their strategic oil reserves after the transit of Russian oil through the Drujba pipeline to Ukraine has been halted since January 27 following what the country says was a Russian drone strike, and Zelenski says repairs take time.
But Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico both claim that Ukraine is keeping the pipeline blocked in a political blackmail move against them for refusing to support Kiev in its war with Russia, and especially because Orban opposes Ukraine's EU membership.
In retaliation, Hungary halted deliveries of diesel, gas and electricity to Ukraine and vetoed the EU's 20th package of sanctions against Russia, also blocking a €90 billion European loan to Ukraine.
European leaders agreed in December on this loan, financed by issuing joint EU debt, but which Ukraine will repay only after Russia pays it hypothetical “war reparations” and will be guaranteed by the EU budget, i.e. member states.
Three of these, namely Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, requested and obtained an exemption from participation in the loan guarantee mechanism.
Viktor Orban estimated that this loan will never be repaid by Ukraine, in which case the guarantor EU states will have to pay it in the end.
Fico has “a clear impression”
Slovakia has also suspended electricity supplies to Ukraine, and Prime Minister Fico said last Thursday that he may take further measures against Ukraine if it does not unblock the flow of Russian oil.
The Slovak prime minister described Ukraine as a corrupt country that behaves disrespectfully towards EU member states. “And we are expected to raise our hands and vote yes like sheep,” Fico said.
The Slovak prime minister had a telephone conversation with the Ukrainian president last Friday. Fico later said of this discussion that it left him with a “clear impression” that Ukraine does not want to allow the resumption of the flow of Russian oil through the Drujba pipeline.
Moreover, Fico added, Zelenski rejected the request of Hungary and Slovakia for a European mission to participate in which these two countries also check the condition of the pipeline in Ukraine.
