BRUSSELS, May 15. /TASS/. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had "no knowledge" about Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s plan to blow up the Druzhba oil pipeline in order to undermine Hungary’s industry, as was stated in the leaked Pentagon documents, published by the Washington Post. The question was posed by Hungarian reporters during a joint press conference involving von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels on Monday.
Upon hearing the question, von der Leyen remained silent for several seconds, turned several pages of materials in front of her, glanced at Michel, who cleared his throat in response, then shrugged and said: "I am sorry, I have no knowledge about it."
When the reporters noted that this information "has not been debunked by anyone yet," European Commission Spokesman Eric Mamer, who hosted the press conference, said that "that was the answer."
On May 13, the Washington Post reported citing leaked Pentagon documents that "behind closed doors," Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was planning attacks on Russian territory and sabotaging the oil pipeline that transports oil from Russia to Hungary. This information was obtained during the course of US intelligence monitoring Zelensky's correspondence with his subordinates and military command.
According to the report, Zelensky proposed to blow up the Druzhba pipeline during a meeting with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko in mid-February. Commenting on this dialogue, US intelligence officers noted in the documents that the Ukrainian President "displayed anger towards Hungary and therefore could express exaggerated and senseless threats." According to US intelligence, Zelensky said that "Ukraine must simply blow up the pipeline and destroy" Hungary’s industry as it is "heavily dependent on Russian oil."
Hungary receives most of its oil via the Druzhba pipeline that goes from Russia through Ukraine. The Russian government previously reported that 4.9 million tons of oil were transported to Hungary through the pipeline in 2022. Oil is also being transported from Hungary to Slovakia and Czechia.