Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has responded to criticisms from European Council President Antonio Costa regarding Budapest's decision to block financial assistance to Ukraine.
According to Operative Information Center-OMM, the politician shared a copy of his response letter on his official X (formerly Twitter) social media account. In the letter, Orban described the current situation as absurd, stating that Hungary is being asked to act as if nothing has happened while Kyiv creates an emergency energy problem for Budapest.
"Hungary will not support any decisions favorable to Ukraine until Kyiv returns to normal operations. There are no technical obstacles to the restoration of supplies through the 'Druzhba' oil pipeline; this depends solely on Ukraine's political decision," Orban stated in his response.
Official Budapest has blocked a 90 billion euro loan intended for Ukraine. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto previously noted that this decision will remain in effect until Kyiv restores the transit of Russian oil. Conversely, Antonio Costa warned that this move would have certain consequences for Hungary within the European Union framework.
The dispute centers on Ukraine's decision to restrict the transit of oil from Russian energy giant Lukoil, which serves as a primary source for Hungarian refineries. As a landlocked country, Hungary relies heavily on the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline for its energy security. This diplomatic friction highlights the ongoing internal divisions within the European Union regarding the balance between supporting Ukraine and maintaining national energy stability among member states.
