MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. Hungary has reinforced the protection of dozens of critical energy facilities due to the risk of sabotage and attacks from Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced following a meeting of the country’s Defense Council.
The Slovak government has approved the termination of the agreement with Ukraine on emergency electricity supplies to that country. The text of the cabinet resolution to that effect is posted on the website of the republic's government press service.
TASS has compiled the main details on the situation with the oil pipeline.
Commission
As Orban announced, the Hungarian government has formed a commission to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
"We have decided to establish a commission to investigate the circumstances [of the pipeline blockage] under the leadership of State Secretary [of the Hungarian Ministry of Energy] Gabor Czepek. Its task is to assess the actual condition of the Druzhba pipeline on the ground," Orban said.
According to him, the Hungarian government is demanding that Vladimir Zelensky let inspectors enter Ukraine "and allow them to inspect the pipeline."
Earlier a Hungarian official told the European publication Politico that Budapest will accept any findings of the mission inspecting the pipeline damage.
Possible sabotage
Hungary has reinforced the security of dozens of critical energy facilities due to the risk of sabotage and attacks from Ukraine, Orban said.
According to him, the measure was prompted by the fact that "the Ukrainians blew up the Nord Stream pipeline."
"We decided that it is necessary to strengthen the security of Hungarian energy facilities. Judging by the report I received today, army units have already been deployed to 75 locations," he said.
Following Zelensky's statements about preventing Russian energy supplies from entering Europe, Budapest believes that "all energy facilities that used Russian energy supplies could become targets for Ukrainian sabotage."
Situation with supplies via Druzhba pipeline
Ukraine will not resume oil supplies to Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline in the coming days, the Slovak Ministry of Economy announced.
Slovakia had expected the resumption of transit shipments of this Russian energy commodity through Ukrainian territory today.
The European Commission (EC) has acknowledged Slovakia and Hungary's claim that they are correct in their efforts to have Ukraine resume oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told reporters.
He stated that the EC is pressuring Ukraine to resume supplies.
"I am glad that we are not the only ones fighting for the restoration of oil supplies! Today we are witnessing pressure [on Ukraine] from the EC," Fico said.
Fico reported that EC President Ursula von der Leyen held a discussion with Zelensky regarding the resumption of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline. Earlier former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov told TASS that the blockade was being carried out on the orders of the European Commission to ensure the defeat of Orban and his party in the Hungarian parliamentary elections on April 12.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto noted that Kiev is unlikely to resume Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline before the Hungarian parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12, as it seeks to complicate the situation in the country and help the Hungarian opposition.
Russian oil has not flowed to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline since January.
Earlier Kiev informed Bratislava that supplies via the pipeline would resume on February 20.
Since then the Ukrainian side has postponed this deadline several times.
Bratislava was informed that supplies would be restored on February 26, then on March 3, Fico said earlier.
Hungary and Slovakia's retaliatory actions
The Hungarian authorities may stop blocking a €90 billion loan to Ukraine if Kiev resumes oil supplies to the country via the Druzhba pipeline, a Hungarian official told Politico.
He warned that any attempts to circumvent Hungary's position "will be seen as an escalation."
Budapest warned that it will obstruct any decisions in Brussels favoring Kiev.
The Slovak government has approved the termination of an agreement with Ukraine on emergency electricity supplies to that country. This conclusion follows from a cabinet resolution, the text of which is posted on the government's press service website.
Ukraine will be forced to lift its oil blockade of Hungary because it will run out of money before the Hungarian government runs out of oil, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.