Hungary’s foreign minister Szijjártó accused Zelensky of lying for denying an official visit by a Hungarian delegation to Ukraine

Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is “lying” when he claims he did not know about a Hungarian delegation’s visit to Ukraine.

Szijjártó wrote this on his Facebook page.

He said that Hungary’s embassy had sent Kyiv a diplomatic note about the planned visit and published the relevant document.

In response, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said the proposed dates were not suitable and suggested coordinating new ones, according to a document cited by Ukrainian media.

Ukraine’s Presidential Office also stressed that an official visit is the result of prior agreements, not merely a note that has been sent.

As a reminder, a Hungarian delegation arrived in Ukraine yesterday to check the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline and hold talks about restarting it. The delegation includes an oil-industry specialist, a senior official with international-relations experience, and an energy-market analyst.

Ukraine, in response, indicated it would not allow the visiting officials to inspect the pipeline. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told the media that they do not have the status of an official delegation and are viewed by Kyiv as tourists who used the visa-free regime.

As reported, Kyiv says Druzhba is not operating because of the aftermath of Russian strikes, while Budapest believes the strikes are unrelated and that Ukraine itself is blocking oil deliveries through the route. A week ago, Zelensky said the pipeline could be back in operation within a month to a month and a half.

Meanwhile, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said Ukraine did not allow the EU’s ambassador to visit the Druzhba pipeline site.