Szijjártó: The Germans threatened us with very serious consequences if we don’t give up defending our national interests

“The Germans threatened us, they said that there would be very harsh, very serious consequences if we don’t give up defending our national interests in relation to Ukraine,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said at his press conference in Brussels on Monday afternoon, after attending the Foreign Affairs Council with his EU counterparts. He also announced the construction of a new diesel and gasoline pipeline between Hungary and Slovakia.

“I’ve been participating in these talks for 11 and a half years, and I’ve never experienced anything like this: this was a very harsh, open, and shameless threat from the Germans. The Germans threatened us, they said that there will be very harsh, very serious consequences if we do not give up defending our national interests in relation to Ukraine,” the minister said.

Szijjártó claims that the Germans made it clear: if Hungary continues to stand up for Hungarian national interests and continues to refuse to vote in favour of allocating funds to Ukraine, this will have “long-lasting consequences” for Hungary. He claims that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was the one who told him this. “This was a very harsh threat from Berlin today,” he said. According to the minister, the Brussels-Berlin-Kyiv axis wants a change of government in Hungary.

The minister also met with the Slovak Minister of Energy, with whom he signed an agreement. The agreement stipulates that

Hungary and Slovakia will build a new diesel and gasoline pipeline to connect the refineries in Bratislava and Százhalombatta.

The pipeline will be 127 kilometers long and will be able to transport 1.5 million tons of oil. “This is yet another addition to the value of the Hungarian energy supply system.” According to plans, the pipeline will be ready by the beginning of next year.

Szijjártó also noted that the situation is dismal, as Brussels continues to be dominated by what he called “war fanaticism,” and in his view, preparations are being made for a Europe that will in the future be at war. The minister said that his “Western colleagues” are already bracing themselves for the war in Ukraine to continue this year as well.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also joined the meeting via a video connection, and Szijjártó said he presented the Hungarian position to him. “Hungary has been under a Ukrainian oil blockade for nearly 50 days now; exclusively due to political reasons, namely Zelensky’s desire to form a government in Hungary as well,” he stated, outlining the Hungarian government’s position on the Friendship oil pipeline. In his view, the Ukrainians would like to intervene in the interest of the Tisza Party.

Péter Szijjártó reiterated that, in their view, there are no technical or operational reasons hindering the resumption of oil shipments through the Friendship pipeline. “The Ukrainians have been caught red-handed; they are lying through their teeth.” According to him, the Ukrainian side has admitted that they are waiting for political approval to reopen the pipeline. Due to the situation in Iran, the Hungarian government considers the pipeline closure a serious crime that they will not tolerate, which is why they will not vote for either the 20th Russian sanctions package nor for Ukraine's military loan, he said.