BUDAPEST, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto on Tuesday criticized the European Commission's (EC) response to the disruption of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, urging immediate resumption of deliveries.
Szijjarto said Hungary and Slovakia have been facing what he described as an "oil blockade" from Ukraine for nearly 50 days, and rejected suggestions that the issue was merely technical.
He argued that the situation was the result of a coordinated political action involving Kyiv and Brussels, and called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EC President Ursula von der Leyen to "stop the theater" and restore the pipeline's operation without delay.
The Druzhba pipeline is fully operational and capable of delivering crude oil to Hungary, he said, adding that Hungary has taken steps to mitigate the impact of the disruption, including increasing reserves, arranging alternative maritime deliveries, and strengthening regional energy cooperation, notably with Slovakia and Serbia.
The remarks came in response to a joint statement on Tuesday by von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, who said that the EU has offered Ukraine technical support and funding over the disruption of the pipeline.
"In this sense, the European Commission will continue to work with the concerned parties on alternative routes for the transit of non-Russian crude oil to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe," the statement said.
The disruption has become part of broader tensions between Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine in recent weeks. Hungary has criticized the halt of oil transit and has also banned the export of gasoline and diesel to Ukraine, while blocking approval of a 90-billion-euro (104-billion-U.S.-dollar) EU aid package for Ukraine. ■