Hungary bans entry to Ukrainian commander after attacks on Druzhba oil pipeline
He made the statement on X, according to Ukrinform.
"In response to the latest Ukrainian strike against the Druzhba oil pipeline, the Hungarian government has decided to ban the commander of the military unit responsible from entering Hungary and the entire Schengen Area," Szijjarto wrote.
He called the strike on the pipeline "an attack on Hungary's sovereignty," claiming it endangered the country's energy security, "nearly forcing the use of our strategic reserves."
According to him, Ukraine is fully aware that the Druzhba pipeline is vital for Hungary's and Slovakia's energy supply. Szijjarto added that such strikes "harm us far more than Russia."
"Anyone who attacks our energy security and sovereignty must expect consequences," he said.
Earlier, Szijjarto said that the latest strike on the Druzhba pipeline had caused a halt in Russian oil supplies to Hungary.
On August 22, Robert Brovdi (known as Madyar), commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, confirmed that Ukrainian drones had hit an oil pumping station of Russia's Transneft Druzhba pipeline in Unecha, Bryansk region.
On August 13, kamikaze drones operated by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) attacked another pumping station of the Transneft Druzhba pipeline in the same area.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded on August 18, advising Szijjarto to address complaints to Moscow rather than Kyiv, noting that Russia started this war and refuses to end it.
Previously, the European Commission stated that the strike on Russian energy infrastructure — which temporarily disrupted oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia and Hungary — does not pose a risk to the EU's overall energy security, adding that the bloc has mechanisms to compensate for such disruptions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky later said that Ukraine's future relations with Hungary would depend on Budapest's stance, indirectly referring to the Druzhba pipeline, which supplied Hungary with Russian energy but has been shut down due to the attacks.
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