Hungary, Ukraine clash over visit to inspect Druzhba pipeline

A dispute between Hungary and Ukraine has intensified over a planned visit by a Hungarian delegation to inspect the Druzhba oil pipeline.

The row escalated after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was unaware of such a trip, prompting Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto to accuse him of lying.

"The Ukrainian president is lying," Szijjarto wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, saying Ukraine had been informed about the upcoming visit in an official note.

Kiev quickly rejected the accusation. Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Zelensky, said Hungary may have forgotten what bilateral relations mean. Official visits are an agreement, not a "thrown note," Lytvyn said, according to the news portal Ukrainska Pravda.

The dispute centres on Budapest's demand that the Druzhba pipeline, damaged by Russian attacks, be repaired as soon as possible. The pipeline had continued to transport Russian oil via Ukraine to Hungary despite the war ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin four years ago.

Kiev says the pipeline was so badly damaged that it cannot resume operations for at least six weeks – after Hungary's parliamentary election.

Budapest disputes this assessment and insists on inspecting the pipeline itself. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been using anti-Ukraine rhetoric during the election campaign as he tries to close a gap in opinion polls.