Tensions are rising again in Europe, and this time it’s centered on Ukraine’s strikes against the Russian Druzhba oil pipeline. The pipeline supplies crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia, both NATO member states, and its disruption has sparked a political storm.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has long maintained closer ties with Moscow than most of his European allies, recently revealed a handwritten note he received from Donald Trump. According to Hungarian media, Orbán shared Trump’s message in a private Facebook group for supporters.
Trump’s note read:
“Viktor I do not like hearing this. I am very angry about it. Tell Slovakia. You are my great friend.”
Orbán had written to Trump complaining that Ukrainian strikes on Druzhba were hurting Hungary’s energy supply. Ukraine defended its actions, saying that the pipeline also fuels the Russian military, which made it a legitimate target.
The political context here is important. While most EU and NATO members have distanced themselves from Russia, Hungary has tried to stay neutral in the war, continuing to rely heavily on Russian energy. This position has often put Orbán at odds with Brussels and Kyiv, who accuse Hungary of enabling Moscow by refusing to fully join Western efforts to isolate Russia.
The timing of this exchange between Trump and Orbán is also notable. Orbán referenced that the first pipeline strike happened just before Trump’s much-publicized meeting in Alaska with Vladimir Putin. Ukraine has since hit the Druzhba pipeline again, doubling down on its position.
In response to Hungary’s complaints, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reminded Orbán that “it is Russia, not Ukraine, who began this war and refuses to end it.” He pointed out that Hungary had been warned for years about the risks of depending on Moscow and said that Budapest should now take its grievances to its “friends in Moscow.”
This situation highlights how the war in Ukraine continues to expose fault lines within NATO and the EU. Hungary’s balancing act between its Western allies and Russia may become harder to maintain as the conflict drags on.
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