Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sparked a sharp diplomatic row with Hungary after remarks directed at Prime Minister Viktor Orbán about giving his phone number to Ukrainian troops to have a conversation with him. The remarks have been condemned in Budapest as a death threat, adding fresh tension to an already fraught relationship between the two countries. Budapest interpreted the remark as a threat against the prime minister's life.
According to major media, Zelenskyy stated: 'Hopefully, no one in the EU will block the €90bn tranche to arm Ukrainian soldiers. ' Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó responded: 'It goes beyond all bounds that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has practically threatened Prime Minister Viktor Orbán with death. ' Opposition figure Péter Magyar added: 'The Ukrainian president threatened Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
' The exchange comes as Hungary prepares for parliamentary elections in April, with Ukraine's EU accession bid and relations with Kyiv emerging as a main campaign issue. At the heart of the dispute is the Druzhba oil pipeline, which was struck in a Russian attack in late January and has remained out of service since. Hungary and Slovakia are the last two EU member states still importing significant volumes of Russian oil via the route.
Zelenskyy added that, while Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine, he has no interest in facilitating Russian oil deliveries. On Wednesday, he had said repairs would only be possible during a ceasefire. ' It remains unclear whether European leaders indeed share Zelenskyy's position of not repairing the pipeline, as he claims, and the specific technical or safety reasons Ukraine cites for not repairing the Druzhba pipeline have not been detailed.
In response, Orbán declared: 'There will be no deals, no compromise. We will break the Ukrainian oil blockade by force. ' How exactly Hungary plans to 'break the Ukrainian oil blockade by force' as stated by Orbán is not specified.
Last week, Orbán ordered soldiers and police to guard Hungary's critical energy infrastructure, citing fears of a Ukrainian attack. Hungary has also blocked a €90bn European Union aid package for Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of political blackmail over the pipeline shutdown. The timeline or conditions under which Hungary might unblock the €90bn EU aid package for Ukraine are unknown.
The impact of this diplomatic row on Ukraine's EU accession bid and Hungary's upcoming elections remains to be seen as tensions escalate between the neighboring nations.