“NO OIL, NO MONEY”
Orban said his position remained unchanged, adding he had spoken with Costa and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose country also received supplies through the pipeline.
“If President Zelenskyy wants to get his money from Brussels, then the Druzhba pipeline must be reopened,” Orban said in a Facebook video. “No oil, no money,” he added.
Landlocked Hungary and Slovakia have accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying reopening the Druzhba pipeline, which Kyiv says was damaged by Russian strikes in January.
Ukraine had been resisting the EU offer to help get oil flowing again. Zelenskyy called it “blackmail” to link the pipeline issue with support for its war effort against Russia’s invasion.
But the letters published Tuesday showed the Ukrainian leader relenting, as the EU dialed up pressure for a resolution.