Szijjártó accuses Ukraine of attacks on TurkStream after talk with Russian Dpty Minister
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó reported a conversation with Russian Deputy Minister of Energy Pavel Sorokin, after which he accused the Ukrainian side of shelling the infrastructure of the TurkStream pipeline on Russian territory, allegedly to organize an energy blockade of Hungary and influence its election results.
"Ukraine is already blocking our oil supplies, and now they are also targeting our gas supplies. TurkStream is vital for Hungary. If the pipeline is damaged, the gas supply security of Hungary and several Central and South-Eastern European countries will be at risk. It is clear what is happening: Hungarian elections are a month away, and Ukraine is trying to impose a total energy blockade on Hungary to interfere in the elections and support the Tisa party," Szijjártó wrote on X on Thursday.
According to him, Sorokin informed him "that Ukraine carried out several attacks on critical infrastructure of the TurkStream pipeline in Russia."
"We call on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians to stop attacks on energy infrastructure critical for Hungary’s supply and to stop interfering in our elections!", Szijjártó added.
Currently, Hungary purchases the bulk of its consumed gas from the Russian Federation—about 8 billion cubic meters per year—delivered via the TurkStream pipeline.
As previously reported, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary would block the European Union’s adoption of a new sanctions package against Russia and the allocation of a EUR 90 billion EU reparations loan as long as the Druzhba oil pipeline, damaged during Russian shelling on January 27, remains closed.
On March 11, Zelenskyy reported that during recent conversations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, it was agreed that Ukraine must provide EU leaders with a date for the possible resumption of technical processes on the Druzhba pipeline. He noted that restoring the technical capability of Druzhba requires 1.5 to 2 months, while repairing reservoirs destroyed by Russian missiles would take 6 months.
Earlier that same day, Serhiy Koretsky, Chairman of the Board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, reported that Russian aggressors have been striking pipeline pumping stations in southern Ukraine for two consecutive days to prevent alternative supplies of non-Russian oil to other European countries. According to him, since the beginning of this year, Russia has carried out over 30 attacks on infrastructure belonging to the Naftogaz Group.
