The Ukrainian leader has insisted the Druzhba conduit, which used to carry Russian crude to Hungary, remains out of operation

Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has refused to reopen the Druzhba oil pipeline, which connects Russia to Hungary and Slovakia, amid an escalating war of words between Kiev and Budapest.

The artery may go back online within a month and a half, Zelensky suggested, signaling that the extent to which it could become operational remains to be seen. Kiev shut down the pipeline in late January, claiming it was damaged in Russian strikes, which Moscow has denied. Budapest and Bratislava have echoed Russia's stance, accusing Ukraine of blackmail and deliberate disruption of the supply for political reasons.

"We can convey information that within these one and a half months, restoration is possible... But this does not mean that what was destroyed will be restored and that some things can be done in parallel," Zelensky said on Thursday.

Kiev's standoff with Budapest escalated even further after Zelensky openly threatened Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Earlier in the day, the Ukrainian leader demanded Orban lift his veto of a proposed €90 billion ($106 billion) emergency EU loan for Kiev.

"Otherwise, we will give the address of this person to our armed forces, to our guys, so that they call him and communicate with him in their own language," he said.

The remarks were strongly condemned by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who said "no one" is allowed to threaten the country and its prime minister.

"This is beyond every limit. This is Ukraine. This is the kind of 'culture' coming from [Kiev]. And this is the man Brussels admires and the country they want to fast-track into the European Union," Szijjarto wrote on X. "No one can blackmail us just because we refuse to pay the price of Ukraine's war and refuse to accept higher energy prices because of Ukraine," he added.

Separately, Orban reiterated his pledge to continue blocking any pro-Ukrainian initiatives within the EU, as well as to lift the "oil blockade" imposed by Kiev. "There will be no deals, no compromise. We will break the Ukrainian oil blockade by force," he wrote on X.

(RT.com)