The President of the United States, Donald Trump, conveyed to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a personal note published on Friday that he is „very angry” about the recent Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian oil pipeline Drujba.
Trump’s remarks came in response to a complaint letter sent by Orban, who referred to the attacks on the Drujba pipeline as a „very unfriendly move,” as reported by The Kyiv Independent.
The Drujba pipeline transports Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, the only two EU countries that continue to purchase Russian oil through this system.
Words of comfort for Viktor, Trump's great friend
Both affected states expressed outrage over the attack and appealed to international partners. Orban wrote to Trump, while the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a complaint with the European Commission.
"I asked for the help of the American president. Ukrainians continue to bomb the Drujba oil pipeline. Hungary supports Ukraine with electricity and gasoline, in return they bomb the pipeline that supplies us. A very unfriendly move!" Orban announced on Friday.
In a handwritten response directly on the letter from the Hungarian Prime Minister, Trump wrote: "Viktor, I don't like to hear this; I am very upset. Tell this also to Slovakia! You are my great friend."
Slovakia's letter to the European Commission categorizes Ukraine's attack on the pipeline as "completely unacceptable" and calls on the EC to take measures to ensure its energy supply security.
Ukrainians strike again
Ukrainian forces confirmed on Monday that they had drone attacks on the Nikolskoie oil pumping station in the Russian region of Tambov, disrupting operations. Russian oil flows to Hungary and Slovakia were suspended on that day as a result of the attack.
The situation was later rectified, but a new Ukrainian attack has once again disrupted the flow of oil through the same pipeline. The Ukrainian army announced on Thursday evening that it had hit the Unecea oil pumping station, a vital component of the Drujba oil pipeline that transports Russian oil to Europe.
Following this new attack, deliveries of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia could be suspended for at least five days, Hungarian and Slovak officials declared on Friday, according to Reuters.
Ukraine regularly launches attacks on military and industrial facilities in Russia, targeting the oil infrastructure to undermine one of Moscow's most profitable sources of income.
According to Oleksandr Karcenko, General Director of the Energy Industry Research Center, oil revenues account for up to 40% of Russia's federal budget. Ukraine's drone attacks on oil facilities "directly weaken Moscow's resources," he told the Ukrainian publication.
Kyiv's signal to Moscow's partners
The Drujba pipeline, built during the Soviet era, one of the largest in the world, transports Russian oil through two main branches: the northern line to Northern Europe and the southern line to Central Europe.
The recent attacks on the pipeline hit the Unecea pumping station, "a critical node" that not only supplies oil to Hungary and Slovakia but also feeds the pipeline to the Ust-Luga port in the Baltic Sea, near St. Petersburg, said Karcenko. "This means a double blow - both for Russia's oil exports to the EU and for its maritime transport. Disruption at Unecha reduces about 5% of Russia's daily oil exports, costing the Kremlin nearly $15 million in lost revenue each day," he noted.
"For Hungary and others, the immediate risk is supply instability, while for Russia's broader customer base, the signal is clear: the Drujba and Ust-Luga routes are no longer reliable," Karcenko added.
Orban's appeal to Trump comes amid the White House's recent efforts to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, then invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a number of European leaders to Washington on Monday.
Viktor Orban, a long-time ally of Trump, is one of the most friendly leaders in Europe towards the Kremlin. He has repeatedly blocked sanctions and aid to Ukraine and opposes Kiev's accession to the EU.