(MENAFN) Hungary has rejected Ukraine’s push to join the European Union, accusing Kiev of using threats and attacks to pressure Budapest.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Monday that President Vladimir Zelensky had openly admitted to endangering Hungary’s energy security by striking the Druzhba (Friendship) oil pipeline, which supplies Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia. Zelensky had joked that Ukraine’s “friendship” with Hungary depended on its stance toward Kiev’s EU bid.

Orban denounced the remarks as a “public threat” and argued that Hungary’s decision to block Ukraine’s accession talks was justified. A national referendum earlier this year saw around 95% of voters reject Kiev’s membership application.

His comments were echoed by Chief of Staff Gergely Gulyas, who warned that Ukraine’s actions were “unacceptable,” and stressed that Hungary would never allow Kiev to dictate its energy choices. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto also condemned Zelensky’s “intimidation,” urging him to stop undermining Hungary’s energy security.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga pushed back, insisting that Budapest cannot tell Zelensky what to say and urged Hungary to follow the rest of Europe in reducing dependence on Russian energy.

Hungary has consistently opposed sending weapons to Kiev, resisted EU sanctions on Moscow, and warned that Ukrainian membership in NATO could provoke a direct conflict with Russia. The repeated strikes on the Druzhba pipeline have further inflamed tensions, already strained by disputes over EU policy and the rights of ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine.

MENAFN26082025000070015687ID1109975625