Orbán urges his envoy in Ukraine to seek talks and inspect Druzhba pipeline
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has urged Deputy Energy Minister Gábor Czepek, who arrived in Ukraine with a delegation yesterday, to secure a meeting with Ukrainian officials or to inspect the site of damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
During the conversation, Orbán was heard instructing the official to keep reminding the Ukrainian side about their presence and to remain polite.
The Hungarian prime minister said on Facebook it is important to demonstrate to everyone that Hungary has been willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine.
He was quoted as saying that Hungary needs to document that it has sought dialogue, wants to assess the situation and aims to resolve it jointly with the Ukrainian side, stressing that Budapest is not seeking conflict but a solution and wishes to assist in this.
Orbán also called on the delegation to secure a visit to the pipeline damage site, either by reaching an arrangement with the Ukrainian authorities or through the embassy.
In response, Czepek is reported to have said that the delegation has an opportunity to make progress, as it plans to hold talks with US representatives and EU diplomats.
Meanwhile, Orbán reportedly joked during the conversation that negotiations could be conducted with everyone except Ukrainians.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry earlier said that on the morning of 11 March, a group of Hungarian citizens had entered the country without official status or any scheduled official meetings. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later commented that he was unaware of what the Hungarian delegation was doing in Ukraine.
Hungary's foreign minister subsequently accused Zelenskyy of lying and published a diplomatic note indicating that Budapest had requested the organisation of a meeting between Czepek and Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal.
However, a note from Ukraine's Foreign Ministry obtained by European Pravda suggests that the Hungarian side had not coordinated its delegation's visit to the Druzhba pipeline with Ukraine and had received official objections from Kyiv regarding the proposed format.