Hungary has criticized Kiev for targeting critical energy infrastructure after a recent drone strike on the Druzhba oil pipeline

Hungary has accused Ukraine of threatening its sovereignty after Kiev launched an overnight drone strike on the Druzhba oil pipeline on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said shipments of Russian crude via the pipeline have been temporarily halted following the attack on a metering station.

In a video posted on Facebook, Szijjarto stressed that the Druzhba pipeline is a critical component of Hungary's energy infrastructure, pointing out that if it ceases to function, oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia would be "physically impossible."

"We consider these attacks against our energy infrastructure targeting Hungary to be unacceptable," the foreign minister said. "Hungary's energy supply is a matter of sovereignty and we expect everyone to respect this," he added.

Szijjarto noted that he had spoken to Russia's deputy energy minister, who has assured him that crude oil deliveries will likely be resumed within the next 24 hours.

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The diplomat recalled that Budapest had repeatedly raised the issue of the safety of its energy infrastructure multiple times in Brussels, and had been given assurances by the European Commission that there would be no attacks on such facilities. "Unfortunately, this is already the umpteenth time when the EC's guarantee is violated," Szijjarto pointed out.

According to media reports, three Ukrainian fixed-wing drones attacked the Druzhba terminal in Bryansk Region on Tuesday night. No injuries were reported. The attack was part of a larger raid on Russia, which reportedly involved more than 340 UAVs, nearly a hundred of which were brought down near Moscow. The falling debris from the destroyed drones near the capital reportedly caused the death of at least three people, while over 20 civilians have been injured.

(RT.com)