Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to news that Hungary had banned a Ukrainian commander responsible for strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline from entering the country and the wider Schengen area, in a rare post on X written in Hungarian.
Zelenskyy accused Hungary of portraying ‘black as white’ and of attempting to ‘shift the blame’ for the ongoing war onto Ukraine. ‘In Ukraine, we responded positively to all proposals from the world regarding a ceasefire and real diplomacy, and the only one who rebuffed them was Russia,’ the Ukrainian president wrote. He lamented that Budapest had not reacted ‘fairly’ to Russian strikes on Kyiv. ‘Nor has there even been sympathy expressed over the deaths of our people—just last night alone, in Kyiv, Russian drones and missiles took the lives of 17 people, including four children,’ he added.
In contrast, Zelenskyy continued, ‘every day we hear new accusations against Ukraine coming from Hungary.’ ‘Hungarian officials have gone so far as to attempt to discriminate against members of the Hungarian community in Ukraine for their participation in the defence of our state and our people,’ he said, referring to the commander in question, who belongs to the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia.
‘If Hungary has indeed closed entry into Hungary and the entire Schengen zone to one of Ukraine’s military commanders, who is an ethnic Hungarian and a citizen of Ukraine, this can only cause outrage. I have instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to clarify all the facts and respond accordingly,’ Zelenskyy concluded.
As Hungarian Conservative reported, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on Thursday that, due to the continuing strikes on the Druzhba pipeline—which is vital for Hungary’s energy security—the government had decided to ban the commander of the drone unit responsible for the attacks.
Szijjártó described the strike as extremely serious, stressing that it was directed not only at infrastructure but also at Hungary’s sovereignty and the security of its energy supply. He noted that repair work had taken so long that Hungary nearly had to draw on its strategic emergency reserves.
Hungary imports around 80 per cent of its oil from Russia. Alongside Hungary, Slovakia is also heavily affected by the strikes. The two countries urged the European Commission to defend member state interests against Kyiv’s attacks; however, Brussels sided with Ukraine on the issue.
Joining Zelenskyy, the foreign ministers of Lithuania and Poland condemned Hungary’s ban, calling it a shameful act. Szijjártó responded on X to the unprecedented attacks, pointing out that the Ukrainian strikes were severely endangering Hungary’s energy security. He also pointed out the hypocrisy of fellow EU member states for applauding such attacks.
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