MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/. A Hungarian commission to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline is on its way to Ukraine to talk with the country's authorities regarding the resumption of Russian oil transit, head of the commission, Hungarian Deputy Energy Minister Gabor Czepek, announced.
In turn, Zoltan Kovacs, Hungary’s international spokesperson, said that the Hungarian intelligence agencies have information about Ukraine's financing of the opposition party Tisza and have passed this information on to members of the national parliament.
TASS has compiled the main information on the situation.
Hungarian commission in Ukraine
A Hungarian commission to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline has traveled to Ukraine for dialogue with the country's authorities on the resumption of Russian oil transit, Czepek said.
He noted that Hungarian experts also plan to meet with EU representatives to discuss ending Ukraine’s blockade of oil supplies from Russia.
The Hungarian commission to determine the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which arrived in Ukraine, has no official status or scheduled official meetings, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhiy told reporters.
Last week, Orban announced the creation of a commission by the Hungarian government to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Ukraine refused to allow the commission access to the pipeline, Gergely Gulyas, head of the Hungarian Prime Minister's office, announced.
Vladimir Zelensky stated that he does not intend to allow an independent commission to assess the condition of the Druzhba pipeline. He added that he does not believe that European Commission representatives distrust Ukraine's reports of pipeline destruction.
Several EU countries pressured Ukraine to grant inspectors access to inspect the pipeline but Kiev refused all requests in this regard, Politico reported.
EC assistance
The European Commission (EC) is exploring various options for resuming oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, said EC spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen.
She added that financial support is also among the options.
The European Union is considering allocating funding for the restoration of the Druzhba pipeline as part of its financial assistance to Ukraine, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.
According to these sources, the EC could use budget funds allocated to support Kiev for pipeline repairs.
Brussels was also prepared to provide expert assistance for the restoration of the Druzhba pipeline.
The EC acknowledged the validity of Slovakia and Hungary's efforts to have Ukraine restore oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico told reporters.
Possibility of disbursing €90 bln to Ukraine bypassing Hungary
Ukraine will receive the promised financial resources from the European Union, even if Hungary continues to block Brussels's allocation of a single €90 billion loan to Kiev, Politico reported, citing two European diplomats.
According to them, the proposal involves bilateral loans to Ukraine, particularly from the Baltic and Nordic countries, which will not require approval by all EU member states.
In the first stage, almost €30 billion will be transferred allowing Ukraine to stay afloat in the first half of this year.
Dutch Finance Minister Eelco Heinen also announced that the country will provide Kiev with separate annual loans of €3.5 billion until 2029.
Earlier, European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Valdis Dombrovskis stated that the EU "will deliver on this loan one way or another."
Ukraine's financing of the Hungarian opposition
Hungarian intelligence agencies have information about Ukraine's funding of the Hungarian opposition party Tisza, Zoltan Kovacs, Hungary’s international spokesperson, announced.
The intelligence agencies have passed this information on to members of the national parliament, he added.
Kovacs noted that tens of millions of dollars and euros in cash confiscated from employees of the Ukrainian Oschadbank in Hungary corresponds roughly to the amount Tisza leader Peter Magyar claimed his party needed for its election campaign.
Foreign funding of political parties is considered a criminal offense in Hungary.
On March 6, the Hungarian National Tax and Customs Administration reported that seven Oschadbank employees, including a former intelligence general, were detained in the country while transporting $40 million, €35 million in cash, and 9 kg of gold bars in two cash-in-transit vehicles.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that Ukraine is continuing its oil blockade of Hungary to undermine the current government and help the opposition win the parliamentary elections on April 12.
Situation with oil pipeline
Russian oil has not been flowing through the Druzhba pipeline since January 27. In this situation Hungary and Slovakia asked Croatia to allow the transit of Russian crude via the Adriatic Pipeline.
Orban stated that Budapest has intelligence data indicating that the pipeline is operational and that Ukraine is blocking Russian oil supplies solely for political reasons.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said that the Druzhba pipeline was ready to go live, and Hungary, in particular, signaled its technical readiness.
Budapest took retaliatory measures against Kiev by blocking a €90 billion "military loan" from the European Union.
Hungary intends to block the European loan to Ukraine until supplies via the Druzhba pipeline resume.
Speaking at a Ukrainian cabinet meeting Zelensky openly threatened Orban. A recording of his statement was distributed by the Ukrinform news agency.
Zelensky stated that if Hungary blocks aid to Ukraine, he will hand over the address of the Hungarian Prime Minister to the Ukrainian troops so they can call him and speak with him "in their soldier’s tongue."