OTP bank branch in Budapest, Hungary
©Shutterstock / Fotodom
Hungary will block military tranches to Ukraine from the European Union until Kyiv lifts sanctions on the OTP bank. About this on Wednesday, May 17, declared Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó.
“Until the Ukrainians remove OTP from the list of international sponsors of the war, Hungary will not be able to take part in decisions related to the European Peace Fund and sanctions,” he warned.
Szijjarto also mentioned an article in The Washington Post that claimed that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky wanted to blow up the Druzhba oil pipeline. Hungary receives crude oil through this pipeline. The Minister noted that such a threat is contrary to the sovereignty of Hungary, since the issue of security of energy supply is raised.
At the same time, a high-ranking official in Brussels assured that the EU will help resolve the problem around the Hungarian bank and a new tranche of military assistance to Ukraine. According to him, it is planned to negotiate with both sides, since the main goal of the EU is to help Kyiv, writes RIA News.
As the interlocutor of the agency noted, the situation will depend on whether Kyiv has blacklisted only the Russian branch of OTP or the bank as a whole.
