Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said in a video message on Feb. 20, according to TASS, that his government “has made the decision to block the €90 billion loan to Ukraine until Ukraine resumes oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline.... As long as oil deliveries to Hungary remain blocked, Ukraine will not be getting the military loan of €90 billion.”
On Feb. 23 the EU Council will meet on escalating actions to support Ukraine against Russia.
Szijjarto went on to say that by blocking oil deliveries via Druzhba, Ukraine is violating its association agreement with the EU. Szijjarto accused Kiev of colluding with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition, with the goal of blackmailing the Hungarian government. In his opinion, Kiev is deliberately creating difficulties for neighboring Hungary, sending gas prices spiking on the eve of parliamentary elections.
“We will not yield to this blackmail. We will not support the conflict in Ukraine, will not pay Ukrainians to continue the conflict, will not allow Hungarian taxpayer money to go to Ukraine, and will not allow gasoline prices in Hungary to grow,” Szijjarto said.
