Hungary has accused Ukraine of "refusing" to participate in joint "consultations" with the Slovak side after sending a group of officials to "inspect" the Druzhba oil pipeline, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on X on Monday, UNN reports.
Details
"Trilateral consultations with the Slovak and Ukrainian energy ministers were scheduled for today, but the Ukrainian side ultimately refused to participate," Szijjártó claims.
The head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry stated that "this happened after our delegation from the Ministry of Energy spent three and a half days in Kyiv, seeking dialogue." "All requests for meetings were rejected, and EU inspectors are also not allowed to visit the facility," Szijjártó pointed out.
After this, he once again accused Ukraine, claiming that "it is obvious that Ukraine is not restarting the Druzhba oil pipeline for purely political reasons, although it is technically ready for operation."
Addition
Over the weekend, Naftogaz and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed to diplomats from 31 countries the consequences of attacks on Druzhba.
On March 11, it was reported that a group of Hungarian officials had traveled to Ukraine to inspect the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline. The head of the "delegation," State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy Gábor Csepek, was instructed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to meet with Ukrainian officials and inspect the oil pipeline.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Heorhiy Tykhyi, stated that it is incorrect to call the group of Hungarian citizens who arrived in Ukraine a "delegation," as they do not have official status, nor do they have scheduled official meetings.
After this, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó sharply criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his statements about the uncoordinated arrival of Hungarian officials. The Hungarian diplomat claimed that official Budapest had allegedly warned the Ukrainian side in advance about the visit of specialists to inspect the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
In response to the Hungarian embassy's note regarding the planned visit of this country's delegation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called the dates chosen by Hungary "unacceptable" and proposed to agree on new ones, sources in diplomatic circles reported at the time.