"Therefore, I have ordered the reinforcement of protection for critical energy infrastructure. This means that we will deploy soldiers and equipment necessary to repel attacks near key energy facilities. The police will patrol with increased forces around designated power plants, distribution stations and control centers."
"Orban, who has stalled a 90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan to Ukraine as well as a fresh round of sanctions on Russia until Kyiv reopens the pipeline, has claimed the shutdown was for 'political, not technical, reasons.'"
"The populist right-wing leader has repeatedly accused Ukraine of 'blackmail' to force him to desist from opposing measures to assist Kyiv as it fights against Russian forces. He also says Ukraine wants to drive up energy prices in Hungary weeks before a pivotal April 12 election."
Viktor Orban has escalated tensions with Ukraine by ordering reinforced protection for Hungary's critical energy infrastructure, claiming Kyiv deliberately shut down the Druzhba oil pipeline for political rather than technical reasons. Orban stated he received intelligence of potential further disruptions and deployed soldiers and increased police patrols around key energy facilities. He has leveraged this dispute to stall a 90 billion euro EU loan to Ukraine and block fresh sanctions on Russia, demanding the pipeline reopen. Ukraine attributes the outage to Russian drone strikes and ongoing repairs. The EU has assured Hungary and Slovakia of alternative oil supplies. Orban has repeatedly accused Ukraine of blackmail and claims it seeks to raise energy prices before Hungary's April election.
#hungary-ukraine-tensions #energy-infrastructure-security #druzhba-oil-pipeline-dispute #eu-aid-and-sanctions-leverage #viktor-orban
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