Kremlin says Putin to discuss situation around Druzhba oil pipeline with top Hungarian diplomat

ISTANBUL

The Kremlin on Wednesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the situation surrounding the Druzhba oil pipeline with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in Moscow.

In remarks to journalists during a press briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin will receive Szijjarto, who arrived in Moscow on a working visit, later Wednesday.

“You know that there are buyers of our oil, like Hungary and Slovakia, who are currently facing blackmail from the Kyiv government. This blackmail is related to the deliberate blocking of supplies through the Druzhba pipeline,” Peskov said.

The remarks come a day after Putin held a phone call with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline were disrupted after a Jan. 27 incident blamed on Russia by Kyiv, while Budapest and Bratislava accused Ukraine of intentionally blocking the pipeline’s restart to gain political leverage.

After shipments via the pipeline were halted, Hungary and Slovakia decided to suspend diesel fuel supplies to Ukraine in response.

Nuclear arms reduction

Peskov also commented on the situation concerning a new nuclear arms reduction treaty, saying France and Germany’s plans to deepen cooperation on nuclear deterrence “once again underscore the correctness of the Russian side” regarding further talks on strategic stability that require participation from European nuclear powers.

“Without this, it is absolutely impossible to conduct any negotiations on a new START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) under the current conditions,” Peskov said.

He went on to express Russia’s agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week that “nuclear deterrence remains the cornerstone of global security.”

On Monday, Macron announced that France will increase the number of its nuclear warheads and said the country will no longer disclose the size of its stockpile.

He described the move as necessary to strengthen Europe’s defense amid growing global security challenges, while insisting it does not signal a new arms race.

In early February, the New START treaty — the last remaining legally binding agreement limiting U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces — expired.

The treaty was signed on April 8, 2010, in Prague and entered into force on Feb. 5, 2011, replacing the 1991 START I treaty.