Adviser to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Olena Zerkal noted that Ukraine has a powerful lever of influence on Hungary - the Druzhba pipeline.
She stated this during an online discussion of the Kyiv Security Forum.
"As for Hungary, Hungary has taken advantage of the situation, and in fact we and the European Union have given it such an opportunity ... Their appetite for European Union funds is growing daily. And they.ve decided, it is their prime time to demand anything, so as not to destroy European unity, "Zerkal was indignant.
She noted that the European Commission had to change its policy and allow investments, use European funds even for the construction of a new pipeline, not to mention the re-equipment of refineries.
"But that's not all. Of course, they still receive all the funds that were frozen under other programs. And it's really sad, because Ukraine has a wonderful lever in its hands - it's the Druzhba pipeline," the minister's adviser added.
She stressed that a separate line of the Druzhba oil pipeline is going to Hungary, with which "something can happen".
"But then again, it is in the hands of the government and the president to decide politically whether we really want to speak to Orban in the language he understands and which he imposes on the European Union, or whether we are not ready for that yet." Zerkal emphasized.
The adoption of the sixth package of EU sanctions against russia for its military invasion of Ukraine is delayed due to the position of a number of countries most dependent on russian oil supplies. The EU has offered to postpone them from finding new suppliers of raw materials: Prague could launch an embargo from July 2024, and Budapest and Bratislava from 2025. The United States has also said it will invite European countries to introduce tariffs on russian oil as the fastest alternative to a direct oil embargo.
However, this proposal did not seem to be profitable enough for Hungary. In exchange for agreeing to an oil embargo against russia proposed by the European Commission, Budapest is demanding billions in aid from the EU.
European Parliament Vice-President Katarina Barley has called for a decision on a planned oil embargo against russia without Hungary's participation.