“We have always supported friendship between Ukraine<\/a> and Hungary,” Zelensky said<\/a>. “The existence of ‘Druzhba’ depends on the position of Hungary.”<\/p>\n Zelensky’s remarks drew a sharp response from Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who accused Zelensky of threatening Hungary<\/a> and its sovereignty. <\/p>\n “We urge Volodymyr Zelensky to stop threatening Hungary and to stop risking our energy security,” Szijjarto said in a statement on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n In turn, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded to Szijjarto’s comments, urging Hungary to reduce its dependence on Russian energy.<\/p>\n “You don\u2019t need to tell the Ukrainian President what to do or say, and when. He is the President of Ukraine, not Hungary,” Sybiha wrote on X<\/a>. “Hungary’s energy security is in your own hands,” he added. “Diversify and become independent from Russia, like the rest of Europe.”<\/p>\n The diplomatic tensions came days after Ukrainian drone strikes targeted the Nikolskoye pumping station in Russia’s Tambov Oblast on Aug. 18. The attack temporarily disrupted operations on the Druzhba<\/a> pipeline, halting crude oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia.<\/p>\n The Druzhba pipeline, one of the world’s largest, carries Russian oil<\/a> directly to Hungary and Slovakia\u2014the only EU countries still buying Russian crude through the system. In July, they imported $232 million and $196 million worth of oil, respectively.<\/p>\n Hungary has repeatedly opposed EU attempts to fully halt Russian energy imports and has threatened to block Ukraine’s path to EU<\/a> membership.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Kyiv regularly carries out attacks on military and industrial facilities in Russia, targeting Russian oil<\/a> infrastructure to undermine Moscow’s revenue streams and weaken its ability to wage war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n