The Hungarian government has awarded a three -year ban on joining the Schengen area for the commander of the Ukrainian forces of unmanned systems Robert Brovdi as a result of an attack on the Druzhba pipeline. The step was outraged by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, TASR writes according to the DPA report.
Szijjártó: The ban on entry is valid to the entire Schengen area, not just to Hungary
“The recent strong air attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline was an attack on Hungary’s sovereignty,” said Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. “Ukraine is well aware that the Druzhba pipeline is irreplaceable for Hungary’s energy security,” he continued.
According to Szijjártó, the Ukrainian attack was so serious that Hungary had to almost reach for its strategic reserves during repairs. The Minister insists that the ban on entry pays to the entire Schengen area, not only to Hungary.
Slovakia and Hungary receive most of its oil through the Druzhba pipeline
The Ukrainian army announced that a week and a half ago it attacked a pumping station in the Russian Tambov region and caused considerable damage to it. Oil began to flow through the companion only on Thursday.
Unlike most European Union countries (EU), Slovakia and Hungary remain dependent on Russian energy and receive most of their oil through the Druzhba pipeline, Reuters said. He leads to us through Belarus and Ukraine. European sanctions do not apply to natural gas and oil transported by pipes.
Brovdi belongs to the Hungarian minority in Ukraine
Brovdi took over the function of the Commander of the Unmanned Systems in early June and himself is one of the Hungarian minorities in Ukraine, even his nickname in the army “Hungarian”.
In response, Zelenskyj said that the measure is “just another attempt by Hungarian officials to present black as white and blame for the ongoing war in Ukraine”. He added that Budapest also accepted such a step after heavy night Russian attacks on Kiev.
“Hungarian officials have gone so far as to try to discriminate against members of the Hungarian community in Ukraine for their participation in the defense of our state and our nation. If Hungary actually concluded the accession to Hungary and the entire Schengen area of one of Ukrainian military commanders who are Hungarian origin and Ukraine citizen.” X.
The Druzhba pipeline is one of the largest oil transport systems in the world
In recent weeks, Kiev has intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, which plays a key role in the financing of war in Ukraine. The sale of oil and natural gas accounts for approximately a quarter of total income to the Russian budget.
The Druzhba pipeline is one of the largest oil transport systems in the world, which in the 60s of the 20th century built the Soviet Union for the transport of oil to Central and Eastern Europe. More than 4000 kilometers long oil pipeline begins in Russia and then divided into two main branches through Belarus and Ukraine: one transports oil to Poland and Germany and the other to Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
