Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said he would prefer not to repair the Druzhba oil pipeline amid growing tensions with neighbouring Hungary and Slovakia over oil flow disruptions.
Zelenskyy's position comes as Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia have been halted since 27 January after what Ukrainian officials say were Russian drone attacks that damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory.
"Ukraine can repair the Friendship oil pipeline in a month or a month and a half, although it sees no technical or safety reason to do so," he said. "I will be frank: my position, which is shared with European leaders, is that I would not repair the pipeline."
Zelenskyy added that, while Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine, he has no interest in facilitating Russian oil deliveries. On Wednesday, he had said repairs would only be possible during a ceasefire.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said his country will block the adoption of a new EU sanctions package against Russia and the allocation of a €90 billion EU reparations loan to Ukraine until the Druzhba pipeline resumes operation. In response to Zelenskyy, Orbán ruled out any compromise. In a post on X, the Hungarian leader said, "There will be no deals, no compromise. We will break the Ukrainian oil blockade by force. Hungary's energy will soon flow again through the Friendship pipeline," without elaborating on how.
The situation has sparked a sharp diplomatic row with Hungary after Zelenskyy earlier made remarks directed at Orbán about giving his phone number to Ukrainian troops to have a conversation with him.
The remarks have been condemned in Budapest as a death threat, adding fresh tension to an already fraught relationship between the two countries.
The exchange comes as Hungary prepares for parliamentary elections in April, with Ukraine's EU accession bid and relations with Kyiv emerging as a main campaign issue.
The Druzhba oil pipeline dispute
At the heart of the dispute is the Druzhba oil pipeline, which was struck in a Russian attack in late January and has remained out of service since. Hungary and Slovakia are the last two EU member states still importing significant volumes of Russian oil via the route.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday, Zelenskyy addressed the standoff with Orbán directly.
"We hope that one person in the European Union will not block ninety billion or the first tranche of ninety billion, and that Ukrainian soldiers will have weapons" Zelenskyy said.
"Otherwise, we will give the address of this person to our Armed Forces, to our lads. Let them call him and talk to him in their own language.”
Budapest interpreted the remark as a threat against the prime minister's life. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó denounced the statement in unusually strong terms.
"It goes beyond all bounds that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has practically threatened Prime Minister Viktor Orbán with death. Hungary cannot be blackmailed, no matter how they threaten it," Szijjártó said at a press conference.
Opposition leader Péter Magyar, Orbán's main challenger ahead of the April vote, also condemned the remarks.
"The Ukrainian president threatened Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. No foreign head of state can threaten anyone, not a single Hungarian," Magyar said at an election rally.
Last week, Orbán ordered soldiers and police to guard Hungary's critical energy infrastructure, citing fears of a Ukrainian attack.
Hungary has also blocked a €90bn European Union aid package for Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of political blackmail over the pipeline shutdown.
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