The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Hungarian chargé d’affaires for the second time in one day, following comments made by Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, which Ukraine claims are misleading.
According to a ministry spokesperson, Szijjártó’s statements distorted the nature of a recent meeting with the Hungarian diplomat. “Since Minister Szijjártó spread false claims and completely misrepresented the content of the meeting, the Hungarian diplomat was called back to the Foreign Ministry,” the spokesperson stated.
During this second meeting, which took place just hours after the first, the diplomat was warned against misrepresenting discussions, with the hope that the accurate details would reach Budapest this time.
The spokesperson emphasized that Ukrainian officials did not signal during the meetings that the resumption of oil supplies to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline was blocked for political reasons. Instead, the discussions focused on statements made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán regarding potential threats to Hungary’s critical energy infrastructure.
Ukraine expressed its readiness to assist Hungary in protecting its energy facilities. “The Ukrainian side offered to utilize operational channels for information exchange and coordination between the relevant authorities of both countries responsible for safeguarding critical infrastructure, provided that Orbán’s statements are based on facts rather than fantasies,” the spokesperson added.
Prior to this, on February 26, Szijjártó claimed that Ukraine was allegedly demanding money and weapon supplies in exchange for resuming operations of the Druzhba pipeline. His remarks followed the initial summoning of the Hungarian chargé d’affaires by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.
Szijjártó asserted that Ukrainian officials had supposedly acknowledged that the pipelines were closed for political reasons, claiming there were no physical or technical barriers to resuming supplies, and that the issue was purely political.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Hungarian chargé d'affaires twice in one day due to misleading statements from Hungary's Foreign Minister regarding oil supply negotiations. Ukraine has offered assistance to Hungary in protecting its energy infrastructure amidst these tensions.