Ukrainian Foreign Ministry: Hungarians who arrived in Ukraine to inspect Druzhba pipeline have no official status

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi has told journalists that on the morning of 11 March a Hungarian so-called monitoring mission entered Ukraine, even though they "do not have official status or any scheduled official meetings".

"We are aware that this morning a group of Hungarian citizens entered Ukraine under the general rules applicable to all citizens of Schengen countries, making use of visa-free travel," Tykhyi said.

A Hungarian group led by State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy Gábor Czepek announced plans to visit Ukraine on 11 March, where it intends to hold talks on restoring the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline and to inspect its condition.

The spokesperson of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that any individuals may enter Ukraine from Schengen countries in this manner for tourism purposes.

"On the territory of Ukraine, this group of individuals has no official status or scheduled official meetings, so it is clearly incorrect to refer to them as a 'delegation'," he emphasised.

Tykhyi added that citizens of other states may stay in Ukraine provided they "treat Ukraine with respect and comply with the general rules for visits, including for tourism purposes".

Last week, Czepek said he had sent a letter to Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal in which he "gave Ukraine three days" to restore the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline.

Earlier, Hungary and Slovakia had announced plans to send a monitoring mission to the site of damage to the Druzhba pipeline in Brody to obtain an expert assessment.

On the eve of this, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Paris and said they shared a common view on restoring oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline.