Orbán threatens to force Ukraine to restart Druzhba oil transit

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has posted videos on social media in which he threatens to use force to make Ukraine resume the transit of oil via the Druzhba pipeline.

Orbán said on X Hungary has the political and financial tools to compel Ukraine to restart deliveries of Russian oil.

"We will win. And we will win by force. We have political and financial tools, and with these we will compel them, unconditionally and preferably as soon as possible, to reopen the Friendship oil pipeline.

I want to make it clear that we will win here, and we will win by force. So I will make no pact; there will be no compromise. We will defeat them. We will break the oil blockade. We will force the Ukrainian to restart deliveries. Not through business, not through agreement, not through compromise, but by force," Orbán said.

On 2 March, Orbán claimed that satellite images prove there are no obstacles to the pipeline's operation.

Commenting on this, Zelenskyy said satellite images cannot reveal every detail. He also criticised Orbán and Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico for their selfishness over the Druzhba pipeline situation.