Hungary’s foreign minister accuses Ukrainian President Zelenski of threatening Prime Minister Orban with death after comments about giving someone’s address to Ukrainian soldiers.
Hungary Accuses Zelenski of Death Threat
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski said Thursday that he hoped to end blocking of a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine by “one person,” warning he might give that person’s address to the Ukrainian military. Zelenski did not name a specific individual, but it was widely believed he referred to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who blocked the loan related to damage to the “Friendship” oil pipeline.
“President Volodymyr Zelenski threatened Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with death,” stated Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. Hungarian politicians, including the prime minister, shared a recording Thursday in which Zelenski criticized Budapest’s recent decision to block the EU loan, saying he would “give this person’s address to the soldiers so they can talk with them in their own way.”
Unprecedented Tensions in Europe
“This is a completely new situation in Europe, where the president of a European country threatens the death or murder of the prime minister of a NATO and EU member state,” stated Szijjarto. “You cannot threaten Hungary, nor the Hungarian prime minister,” he added. Orban himself assessed on X that “Zelenski did not threaten him, but all of Hungary.”
Dispute Over Oil Pipeline “Friendship”
The dispute between Budapest and Kyiv erupted after the “Friendship” pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary through Ukraine, was damaged at the end of January in a Russian attack. Kyiv assures it is being repaired, but Budapest maintains that Ukrainian authorities are deliberately delaying the restoration of transit, calling these actions “blackmail.” On Thursday, Zelenski announced the pipeline would be operational in about a month and a half.
Escalating Countermeasures
In response to the suspension of supplies, Hungary and Slovakia – which also receives oil this way – released their strategic oil reserves and suspended the supply of diesel fuel to Ukraine. Additionally, authorities in Bratislava suspended electricity supplies to Ukraine, and Hungary threatened to take a similar decision. The Budapest government also announced that until oil transport resumes, it would block the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia and the EU loan for Kyiv worth €90 billion.
