Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that the control panel and underground pipeline of the damaged Druzhba pipeline are not visible from the satellite. He was reacting to Orbán’s statement on Monday, according to which satellite images prove that there are no technical obstacles to restarting the Druzhba pipeline. Referring to the hvg.hu server, the correspondent of TASR in Budapest informs about it.
- Ukrainian President Zelensky claims that the control panel and pipeline will not be captured by the satellite.
- Orbán described the refusal to start the Druzhba pipeline as ordinary blackmail of Ukraine.
- Zelensky criticizes Orbán and Fico for not showing gratitude to Ukraine.
- Croatian Prime Minister Plenkovič offered Hungary and Slovakia an annual amount of oil.
- Russian oil has not flowed through the Druzhba pipeline since January due to an attack on the facility.
“A large oil tank was damaged – you can see it. The satellite does not show the control panel or the underground pipeline. Maybe Orbán can see what is happening with the underground pipeline? I would be surprised, but anything can happen.” said the Ukrainian president on Monday evening, according to the Ukrinform agency.
Earlier on Monday, Orbán declared that the Druzhba pipeline is operational. He called Zelensky’s refusal to start his operation “ordinary blackmail”. “Has anyone heard from Orbán or (Slovak Prime Minister Robert) Fico that we are very grateful to Ukraine, or that we are very sorry for the families and relatives of the injured? Not a word was said about it, they only say that we owe them again,Zelensky said.
“I spoke with Croatian Prime Minister Ante Plenkovic, who showed me that he is ready to provide the annual amount of oil that Hungary and Slovakia need. He said that Orbán did not want to do that,” added the Ukrainian president, according to whom it is only about money. “There is a European price and there is a Russian price. That’s all. In other words, someone is making money from it, and it’s obvious who it is,” he said.
“No one intends to help Russia earn money from the transit of oil and use it to finance the continuation of the war against Ukraine,” noted Zelenskyi. Raw material from Russia does not flow through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia since January 27. According to Kyiv, the reason is the Russian attack on the oil pipeline facility. Orbán and Fico suspect Ukraine of political blackmail, which claims that it is working to repair damaged infrastructure. On March 2, Orbán published satellite images that allegedly prove that the operation of the Druzhba pipeline is not restricted.
